Warrior
by WildestDreams72394
Summary: Sirius helps Remus adopt a little girl before he gets sent to Azkaban. It turns out that little girl has a form of Autism. After Sirius escapes Azkaban, Remus finds himself trying to keep Quinn Lupin-Black from getting hurt by her other father. What will happen during her and Harry's third year at Hogwarts? Who is Quinn's mysterious biological father? Is Fred falling for Quinn?
1. Chapter 1

**December 1979**

Remus paced the floor of his small flat nervously. Sirius watched the werewolf from his seat on the couch, tapping his foot impatiently. Sirius sighed heavily, but he knew that his friend would spill his guts soon enough. At long last, Remus stopped pacing, standing directly in front of Sirius and blurting, "Padfoot, I want to have a baby."

Sirius sat back for a moment, shocked, then bit his lip, smiling. Trying and failing to hold back a laugh, Sirius quipped, "Moony, I think you're coming to the wrong person with that request. I do believe the person you need will be a female."

Remus narrowed his eyes at his teasing friend. "Not funny, Sirius. Come on, I mean it. I want to have a baby."

"Why are you talking to me about it, then?" Sirius asked, tilting his head slightly, his brow furrowing in confusion. "James is the only one of us with any knowledge about knocking up witches. Why don't you talk to him? You know how I am; I do everything I can to avoid fathering a child."

Remus answered, "Because I don't have a girlfriend or a wife? I don't want to get a girl pregnant. That risks passing on my, err, problem, to a child, and I couldn't take that chance."

Sirius shrugged. "So then go to St. Mungo's and the Ministry and adopt a baby. What's the problem?"

Remus rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath. Reminding himself to be patient, Remus said gently, "They know I'm a werewolf. They aren't going to just let me adopt a child all by myself. I have to have a non-werewolf witch or wizard adopt the child with me to guarantee the child's safety, or they'll turn me away."

Sirius frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, Remus. What are you going to do?"

Remus sat down beside Sirius, his fingers fidgeting on his wand anxiously. "Well, that's why I wanted to talk to you, Sirius. I was… well, I was hoping that you would help me get her."

Sirius quirked an eyebrow at Remus. "Her? You mean you've already picked out a little girl to adopt?"

Remus flushed, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "Yeah, well I suppose I have. Remember how I've been volunteering at St. Mungo's the last couple months?" Sirius nodded. "Well, three weeks ago, I got placed in the maternity ward, and this young woman apparated in, in labor and totally alone. We tried to ask about a father, but she said there wasn't one. She died in childbirth; there was nothing anyone can do. The little girl was just so beautiful, and they let me hold her and feed her for a couple weeks, and I just…" Remus swallowed hard. "I know she'll probably be ok at the orphanage in St. Mungo's, but I just… I just can't leave her there."

Sirius smiled, then patted Remus on the back of the shoulder. "I understand, Remus; the little witch has already managed to wrap you around her little finger. Ok, I'll sign whatever papers you need to me to sign to help you adopt this girl."

Remus said slowly, "Actually, it's a little more than that. We'd both be adopting her, so you'd be her father too. You'd have to help me name her, and give her your last name too, and help me out by taking her away from me and keeping her safe during the full moon. I don't know if you'd want to be a part of her life in any other ways, but you'd be more than welcome to."

Sirius thought about it for a few moments. "Remus, I don't think I'm cut out to be a father. I want to help you out though. Maybe… maybe if you could be her father, I could just be like a godfather of sorts, like James is going to have me be with his kid. I think I could help you in that way, and of course I would babysit on full moons."

Remus smiled broadly, and threw an arm around Sirius's shoulders. "Thank you, Padfoot! You have no idea how much this means to me."

Sirius laughed softly. "You're welcome, Moony."

* * *

 **January 1980**

It took nearly two months before Remus and Sirius had managed to jump through all the hoops to secure the adoption of the little baby girl. Sirius couldn't help the smile on his face as he watched Remus take the ten week old baby into his arms for the first time since the adoption became final. A witch who worked in the legal department of St. Mungo's caught Sirius's attention and asked him to give her a name for the new birth certificate. Sirius waved Remus over, and the witch repeated her question. Remus glanced at Sirius before responding, "Quinn Phoenix Lupin-Black."

Sirius smiled and shook his head. "I knew I wasn't remembering that right. I'd have named her Phoenix Quinn Black-Lupin, and then where would we be?" Sirius teased.

Remus rolled his eyes as the dark-haired woman handed Sirius the final piece of paperwork, which listed both of them as the baby's fathers and held no mention of a mother, as Remus didn't know the dead mother's name. Remus held the baby close to his chest as the two men apparated back to Remus's flat. Once inside, Remus seemed to hesitate, then asked, "Umm, what now?"

Sirius barked out a laugh. "Like hell if I know," he exclaimed. "You're the one who wanted a baby and read all the books and junk. Shouldn't you know?"

Remus simply rolled his eyes at his best friend. Looking down at the baby in his arms, Remus stared into little Quinn's grey eyes with fascination. Suddenly, he turned to Sirius and asked, "Do you want to hold her?"

Sirius froze, unsure of himself. "Oh, Moony, I don't know…"

Remus smiled slightly and walked over to the animagus. "Come on, Padfoot; it's easy enough," Remus said encouragingly.

Sirius stalled. "Are you sure about this? When it comes to kids, I'm usually more of an observer."

Remus laughed softly. "Stop hesitating and just do it," Remus said softly. "Just make sure you support her head well, and everything will be just fine." When Sirius continued to stare at Quinn as though she were some sort of alien creature, Remus laughed even harder. "Sirius, you're overthinking it. If you're going to have to babysit her overnight at least once a month, then you need to bond with her. The first step in that process is to hold her."

"But what if she doesn't like me?" Sirius whispered, worry and fear shining in his eyes.

Remus cocked his head, the sudden emotion in Sirius unexpected, but understandable. "You're her father, or uncle, or godfather, or whatever it is you're calling yourself this week. She'll love you," Remus reassured him.

Sirius hesitated, then nodded. Remus carefully handed Quinn over to Sirius, who took her into his arms gingerly. Quinn cooed at him as he brought her close to him, reaching out towards his face with a tiny, fat hand. Sirius smiled, his face filled with awe as he looked at the tiny girl. Sirius murmured softly, "Hello, little baby."

Remus's smile grew wider as he watched Sirius with Quinn. "I told you she'd like you," Remus said smugly.

Sirius couldn't help the smile on his face. "Yeah, yeah, Moony. You were right." Sirius bounced Quinn in his arms for a moment, then frowned. "Umm, what do I do now?" Sirius asked, anxiety returning to his voice.

Remus shrugged as Quinn tried to grab Sirius's nose. Sirius easily captured her tiny hand and kept it away from his face, letting her hold his finger instead. "Just talk to her, I guess," Remus answered. "I've read in several books that talking to her is one of the best things we can do for her development, so I think we should talk to her as much as possible."

Sirius nodded slowly, and just as he was about to begin babbling to Quinn, there was a knock at the door. Remus left Sirius holding Quinn and answered the door, finding an excited James and a pregnant Lily standing on the other side of it. James exclaimed, "Moony! I'm so glad you guys are back already; we were hoping that you two would be done at St. Mungo's by now. We were hoping the little pup would be up still so we could meet her."

Remus smiled. "Oh yeah, Sirius has her in the living room. Come on in," Remus said, the happiest he had been in a long while. As the three walked back into the flat, Remus announced, "Sirius, look who's here to meet Quinn."

Sirius turned, his eyes lighting up when he saw James and Lily. "Prongs! Lily! Thank goodness," he cried, instantly handing Quinn over to Lily.

Lily cooed happily at the little girl as James grinned. "Shirking your father responsibilities already, Sirius?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Nonsense," Sirius scoffed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Just letting Quinn get to know her godmother."

James told them, "Wormtail should be here soon."

At that moment, the man being discussed tumbled out of the fireplace in a bout of green flames. Peter straightened his shirt as Remus exclaimed, "Wormtail! So glad you could make it."

Peter offered a slight smile. "Hey, guys."

Lily offered the baby to Peter. "Peter, meet Remus and Sirius's new baby, Quinn."

Peter took Quinn from Lily and said hello. The little girl nearly instantly started crying, and Remus quickly took Quinn away from Peter. "Sorry, Peter," Remus crooned as he attempted to soothe Quinn with his voice. "She's probably hungry. Or sleepy. I'm not really sure, actually."

Sirius grinned. "Yeah, it's hard to interpret her cries after half an hour of parenting," Sirius ribbed.

Remus rolled his eyes and carried Quinn into the kitchen, James following after him. Remus set about making a bottle for Quinn as James said softly, "I'm proud of you, Moony. It's an amazing thing you're doing for this little girl."

Remus smiled, testing the heat of the milk on his skin. He decided that the temperature was good, and he stuck the bottle in Quinn's mouth, who stopped crying and drank the milk greedily. Remus turned to look at James and mumbled, "Thank you, Prongs. I couldn't help myself. I love this little girl; I can't imagine her not being mine."

James happily agreed. "She seems as though she was made to sit in your arms, Remus. Little Quinn Lupin-Black. It's pretty perfect. You're going to be such a great father, she'll never leave you when she grows up. You'll never be able to get rid of her."

* * *

 **November 1981**

Remus sat on the couch of the flat, head in his hands and shoulders heaving. He absolutely couldn't believe what Sirius had done. His hands shook with grief and anger. Just the day before, James and Lily had sent him an owl, excited for Harry's second Halloween, and now they were dead, and it was all Sirius's fault. He'd heard that Peter and twelve Muggles had been murdered too before the Hit Wizards had finally arrested Sirius. He heard the pitter patter of tiny feet, then a small voice ask, "Daddy, where Padfoot?"

Remus sighed heavily, looking up to see Quinn standing about a foot away, her white gold blonde curls framing her wide, tear filled grey eyes. Remus smoothed her hair lovingly and shook his head, ridding himself of his own tears. "Padfoot has gone away, little pup."

Quinn frowned, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. "Gone?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Remus scooped the toddler up in his arms, squeezing her to his chest. "Gone, Quinn. He's not coming back. We won't be seeing him anymore."

Quinn wrapped her little fat arms around his neck and clutched tightly to Remus. "Why?" she asked indignantly.

Remus shook his head. "Padfoot did something very bad, and now he has to go away," Remus croaked. "But I tell you what, sometime soon we'll get a dog. This dog won't be able to turn into a wizard and talk to you, but this will be better. Ok?"

Quinn nodded, but still wore a pout on her face. "Ok," she agreed.

Remus stood up, carrying Quinn in his arms. "Come on, little pup. Let's get you back in bed. Want me to read you a story?"

Quinn exclaimed joyfully, "Story, daddy!"

Remus smiled slightly at his happy little girl. "All right, a story it is."

* * *

 **January 1983**

Quinn sat on the couch in the living room of her home, her Daddy and a witch he seemed familiar with talking quietly in the kitchen. She ignored them, content to sit on the couch with a Dr. Seuss book reading, and pretending to read any words she couldn't remember. Remus was talking with the witch in lime green robes quietly so that Quinn wouldn't overhear. "You're sure about this?" he said softly.

The Healer nodded. "I'm afraid so. Quinn has Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of Autism. She seems to have a mild case of it, though, so that's good news."

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his sandy brown hair. He asked, "What do I need to do?"

The Healer whispered, "Just continue what you've been doing. Love her, take care of her, be patient with her. Her brain is hardwired a little differently from most people's, so she's going to have trouble, mostly socially. Her motor skills will take a little longer to develop, especially as she starts learning new skills. Sensitivity to light and loud sounds is pretty common, and she'll dislike a lot of strong tastes and textures when it comes to food. She might only show interest in one thing, or maybe just a few, and she'll seem obsessed over that thing. She'll focus on it and learn everything she can about it. Eye contact might be difficult for her, and she might make funny faces a lot. Her language patterns might be unusual, like oddly formal for such a small child. The biggest problem will be missing social cues and not understanding facial expressions or voice inflections. It might seem like she doesn't have any empathy. Sarcasm and humor might be hard for her to understand. Just be patient with her, and she'll be just fine. Usually, as a teenager children with Asperger's will begin to develop the missing social skills, plus they're often quite smart with unusually high IQs, so that's a good thing. She'll need fairly strict routines, but I have no doubts that by the time she gets to Hogwarts, she'll be able to manage herself just fine. She may need a little help at the beginning of each year at school creating a schedule and organizing her life, but after that she'll be just fine."

Remus nodded slowly, then glanced over at Quinn where she sat on the couch. "Ok. Thank you very much, Healer Milne. You've no idea how much I appreciate this."

The blonde woman nodded and smiled at Remus. "Of course, Mr. Lupin. If you have any questions about her Asperger's or need any help, give me a Floo call, ok?"

Remus smiled slightly. "Thank you," he mumbled.

* * *

 **September 1991**

Quinn followed her father onto Platform 9 & ¾ through the wall barrier, glancing nervously about herself. Except for short trips to Diagon Alley, Quinn didn't think she'd ever seen so many people in the same place at once. The place was loud and crowded, and Quinn wasn't quite sure she liked it. She tugged on her father's tan coat sleeve, and he turned to her with half a smile on his face. "Daddy," she said softly. "Are you sure I can't stay home with you again this year?"

Remus turned to his daughter with a patient smile and gave her a tight hug. "No, little pup, I'm afraid you have to go. You'll love it after you get used to it; I promise. You'll make new friends and learn new spells and how to make potions. Professor McGonagall will be there, and she'll help you create a schedule and get everything organized. It'll be like an extended visit instead of just every now and then when Grandpa can't take you in at the full moon." Quinn wouldn't meet his eyes, staring at the wand she held as she twirled it nervously in a repetitive motion between her hands, her light blonde hair hanging in her face. Remus sighed and said, "It'll be ok; I promise. Be brave for me, little pup; ok?"

Quinn nodded, looking into his face but still didn't meet his eyes. "Ok, daddy," she said.

* * *

It was the morning after the Welcome Feast, and brand new Gryffindor Quinn Lupin-Black was strolling cheerfully down from Professor McGonagall's office to the Great Hall for breakfast when she was cornered by Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe. Draco asked haughtily, "Is it true?"

Quinn trembled as she asked, "Is what true?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Is it true that you're Sirius Black's daughter?" he asked impatiently.

Quinn fidgeted nervously, eyes darting around the room looking for an escape. She knew that she was technically also Sirius Black's daughter and that he was in Azkaban and why, but Remus had barely talked about him, so Quinn only knew the basic facts. She nodded and answered, "Yes, I guess so."

Draco said proudly, "My mother was Sirius Black's cousin." Then he thought for a moment. "You're adopted though, so don't think that being his so-called daughter makes you a proper pureblood and us cousins."

Quinn furrowed her brow, confused, her eyes settling on the knot of Draco's green and silver necktie. "Ok," she said slowly. "Can I got to breakfast now?"

Draco tilted his head to one slightly, as though he couldn't quite grasp what Quinn was thinking. He smirked slightly and said, "Just because you aren't a proper pureblood or my cousin doesn't change the facts though. You're still the heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, and that comes with a lot of prestige and fortune. I think I'd like to be friends of sorts. Nothing particularly close, but friendly enough to do favors for each other."

Quinn muttered, "Can the first favor be letting me go to breakfast?"

Draco sneered. "You don't have any interest in my offer?"

Quinn replied, "I have no problem being friends with anyone here, but a proper friend would let me go get breakfast before time runs out on my schedule."

Draco frowned. "What schedule? We haven't even started classes yet."

Suddenly, Quinn found herself surrounded by two tall, red-haired boys, whom Quinn quickly realized must be identical twins. The one on her left asked, "Malfoy isn't bothering you, is he?"

Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "Not really, except he won't let me go to breakfast, and my schedule is going to run out of breakfast time before long," she complained.

The ginger twins looked slightly confused by that, but the boy on her right recovered more quickly. He said to Draco, "Shove off, Malfoy. Leave the girl alone." He offered Quinn his arm. "My lady, I'd be more than happy to escort you to the Great Hall for breakfast."

Quinn giggled slightly at the boy who talked like a Muggle black and white movie. She threaded her arm through his and allowed him to sweep her away from the three Slytherin first years, his brother just behind. The twin whose arm she didn't cling to said, "Sorry about Malfoy. The boy's a git. Just ignore him."

Quinn nodded. "Thank you," she said softly.

The twin who had her arm announced, "I'm Fred Weasley, by the way. That there is my twin brother, George. Don't worry though; everyone mixes up our names, so don't feel badly if you get us confused."

Quinn smiled slightly as the trio entered the Great Hall. "Ok, I won't," she said cheerfully.

* * *

The Sunday after classes had started, Quinn sat in Professor McGonagall's office having tea with McGonagall and her father. Quinn told Remus excitedly all about her first week, and he smiled indulgently at her as she practically bounced in her seat. It seemed that Gryffindor tower suited her as well as Remus had hoped when he received Quinn's owl after the Sorting Ceremony. Remus frowned as she told him about Draco Malfoy confronting her in the corridor, but couldn't help the grin on his face as she explained about the Weasley twins rescuing her. Finally, McGonagall shooed Quinn away, sending her back to Gryffindor to work on homework. Remus asked McGonagall, "Does she seem as though she's doing as well with it all as she says she is?"

McGonagall gave Remus a small smile. "Mr. Lupin, Quinn is doing beautifully. She seems to have made several friends as well, although only one in her own year, a Miss Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born. She seems fascinated by Miss Granger's tales of the Muggle world, but mostly they sit together in the library and read. However, it would appear that Fred and George Weasley have taken it upon themselves to be her personal knights. Every time you see her in the Great Hall, they're always with her. I can't tell which one is which, but one in particular seems to be quite taken with her. She's always hanging on his arm, or sitting beside him with his arm around her. They seem to be very protective of Quinn. I believe she's making excellent choices of friends, and none of them seem to mind her more odd mannerisms."

Remus shook his head, biting his lip in worry. "Is she happy here?" he asked anxiously.

McGonagall answered, "Mr. Lupin, I would say that your daughter seems very happy here."

Remus smiled slightly and nodded. "Good," he said softly. "That's all that matters."

* * *

 **July 1993**

Quinn sat on the front steps of her home, the book in her hand ignored, as she stared at a large, playful black dog bounce around in front of her. Though it was nearly dark out, Quinn could see the dog's unusually grey eyes begging her to pet him. After watching the dog for several minutes to ensure that it wouldn't change its mind and bite her, Quinn slowly reached out and began scratching its shoulder. The dog instantly licked Quinn's cheek, making her laugh softly. She continued to tangle her fingers in its shaggy black fur and scratch behind his ears until her father stepped outside, saying, "Isn't it a little dark out here for reading that…" Remus trailed off, freezing at the sight of the dog.

Quinn smiled up at Remus. "It is, but this dog showed up. He's so sweet, but I think he's homeless. Can we keep him?"

Suddenly, Remus grabbed Quinn by the arm and pulled her to her feet, forcing himself between her and the dog, his wand pointed at the animal. The dog whined softly and lowered himself in a submissive stance. "No. Quinn, get in the house."

Quinn frowned. "Dad, what's wrong? It's just a dog."

"Don't argue," Remus said firmly. "In the house. Now."

Quinn quickly obeyed, shutting the door behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her father start yelling at the dog. It scared her; she didn't think she'd ever heard her father yell outside of a Quidditch match. "How dare you? Are you really this stupid? It's bad enough that the Aurors come by at least once a week to make sure you haven't tried to make contact with me or Quinn; you're lucky I don't call them right now and have them drag you back to Azkaban, and I'd make sure they knew you were an Animagus this time around. You stay the bloody hell away from my daughter, Padfoot."

Quinn ran to the nearest window at the mention of the name "Padfoot." She hadn't heard the name in years. Looking outside, Quinn saw that the dog was gone, and in its place stood a man in tattered prison robes with wild black wavy hair and a pale, gaunt face. She barely heard the man say, "Moony, please, listen to me. I'm innocent; I can explain."

Remus growled threateningly, "I don't want to hear about how bloody great and powerful your blasted Dark Lord is to convince you to betray James and Lily or murder Peter and those Muggles. Leave. Now."

Unable to help herself, Quinn slipped quietly out the front door again as Sirius Black replied coolly, "Remus, it wasn't like that. It was never like that. I'm telling you, I'm innocent, and if you'd just give me the chance I could prove it."

Remus snapped, "I'm not giving you the chance to do anything. Get out of here before I change my mind about calling the Aurors. The only reason I don't in the first place is so Quinn doesn't have to see you arrested."

Quinn moved forward, but still stayed behind Remus, watching everything curiously and casting concerned glances at Remus occasionally. Sirius tilted his head slightly as Quinn's movement caught his attention. "She's my daughter too, you know. I think I have the right to try to convince her of my innocence," he said softly as Quinn's grey eyes met his for a few seconds before she looked down at the scruff on his face.

"You will do no such thing," Remus shouted, making Quinn and Sirius both flinch. Remus snarled, "The only reason your filthy name is still attached to my baby girl is so that Gringotts doesn't revoke her right to access your vault so she can have things like clothes and schoolbooks, because Merlin knows I can't pay for them with the kind of jobs I've been able to get. That's the closest to parenting I'm ever letting you get to. If I didn't know that you'd most likely get the Dementor's Kiss right here and now if I called the Aurors, I'd call them, but I don't want Quinn to see that. If I ever see you within ten kilometers of my little girl ever again, I'll kill you myself. Get out."

At the mention of the Dementor's Kiss, Quinn had shivered, and Sirius's eyes had grown wide with fear. Quinn bit her lip and fidgeted nervously. Sirius took notice of Quinn's growing anxiety and smirked slightly, drawling, "I don't think Quinn likes it when Mummy and Daddy fight, Remus."

Sirius nodded in Quinn's direction, and Quinn turned bright red as Remus turned, shocked to find Quinn standing behind him again. "Quinn!" Remus exclaimed. "What are you bloody doing? I told you to go inside; that included staying inside. Get back in the house, now."

Quinn shifted her weight between her feet nervously, and she couldn't bring herself to meet Remus's gaze. "But, Dad," she mumbled. "He says he's innocent."

Remus didn't have to look at Sirius to know he would be grinning from ear to ear, but he turned his attention sharply back to the escaped prisoner anyway to make sure he couldn't steal his wand away from him. Sirius was indeed grinning triumphantly at the werewolf. Remus scowled and snapped at Quinn, "Like hell he's innocent. Quinn, you and I can talk in the house as soon as he's gone. He's not staying here though. Black, get the hell out of here before I do something in front of Quinn that I'll regret."

Sirius turned his grey eyes on Quinn and winked at her, and she couldn't help the warmth she felt spreading in her chest and the slight smile on her face. "Fine, Moony," Sirius said softly. "For her sake, I'll go. I'll find a way to convince you of my innocence somehow though; you'll see. Wormtail's the real traitor, and I'll prove it. You'll see." With that, Sirius shifted into a large black dog again, barking once and wagging his tail at Quinn before turning and running off into the night.

Remus sighed with relief when Sirius was gone and turned to Quinn, who waited nervously for her punishment for disobeying and not staying in the house. Instead, Remus pulled her to him in a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. Quinn could feel Remus trembling slightly and hugged him back, squeezing as hard as she could. Remus buried his face in her hair and breathed her scent in deeply, reassuring himself that his little girl was safe. After a few minutes standing like that, Remus murmured affectionately, "Come on, Quinn. I think that was enough of an ordeal for both of us tonight. I'm not going to punish you for wanting to get a closer look of the other man who's last name you're forced to wear. Let's just get inside, all right? I'll make us some hot chocolate, and we can curl up on the couch and read, yeah?"

Quinn smiled against her father's chest. "Ok, Dad. That sounds wonderful." Letting her take a step back, Remus left an arm wrapped around Quinn and walked with her into the house. As he made the hot chocolate in the kitchen, Quinn watched him from the couch in the living room. In the small house, the two rooms were practically one, but neither father or daughter minded. As Remus brought the hot drink over and handed one to Quinn, she said timidly, "He didn't seem evil to me, Dad."

Remus sighed as he sat down, draping an arm over the back of the couch. "He never has," Remus muttered darkly. "But he's probably the most evil man out there, aside from the Dark Lord himself."

"I know," Quinn whispered. "But he doesn't seem it."

Remus kissed Quinn's forehead. "I know, little pup. I know."

* * *

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**September 1993**

Quinn rushed into the train compartment the second she spotted Fred and George inside, launching herself into Fred's arms, knocking the wind out of him. George laughed as Fred groaned, and Quinn pulled back enough to frown at him. "Too much?" she asked.

Fred nodded. "Too much," he said, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her to sit in his lap properly anyway.

Oliver Wood, who was apparently sitting across from the twins with Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson, laughed and teased, "What's wrong, Weasley? Your little girlfriend hit you harder than a bludger?"

Fred started to shoot his mouth off at Wood, only for Quinn to beat him to it. "I'm not his girlfriend," Quinn practically growled.

Angelina laughed. "Sorry, sweetheart," the older girl taunted. "But you're far too touchy with him for anyone to believe you're not his girlfriend."

"Angelina..." George warned, but Quinn refused to let it go.

"Well, Angie," the petite blonde third year said with a smile. "If that's how it works, you probably shouldn't have been hugging all over that Hufflepuff boy back at the train platform when we were boarding. Unless you wanted us to be aware that he was the reason for the carpet burns on your knees."

"Quinn!" George exclaimed as Fred exploded into laughter.

Angelina looked down, as though noticing the burns on her knees for the first time, gasped in horror, and glared at Quinn as she smirked at the Quidditch player. Oliver and Lee tried and failed to stifle their snickers, causing Angelina to glare at them too. She stood up, grabbing her bag and snapping, "This is why no one likes you, Black. You're such a little freak."

Quinn recoiled at the familiar insult. The majority of her fellow students had all called her that at one point or another for the last two years, but somehow that never made it any easier to brush off. Fred instantly sobered, his brown eyes shooting daggers at his teammate. "Now, wait just a minute," he snapped. "She is not a freak, Johnson."

"Yeah, she is. A right little psychopath," Angelina said angrily, slamming the compartment door open. Turning her attention to Oliver and Lee, she said, "I'll see you guys later," before stepping into the corridor and shutting the door behind her.

As Angelina stormed off, George had his face in his hands, and Lee and Oliver were considerably more solemn. Apparently, it was one thing for the boys to laugh at Angelina's secret being exposed, but they all knew better than to laugh at what Angelina had called Quinn in front of Fred. He would've hexed them into oblivion if he'd thought they agreed, which left Quinn unsure whether or not they truly didn't agree or just had the decency not to say they did. She felt Fred's fists curl and uncurl against her side a few times, then he suddenly leaned in closer and said softly in her ear, "Hey, don't listen to her. She was just mad; she didn't mean it."

Quinn shook her head. "It seems to me that people are never more honest than when they're angry," she mumbled back. "Their tempers flare, and they stop bothering to filter what comes out of their mouth. Words spoken in anger are usually the truth."

Fred caught her chin between his index finger and his thumb and gently brought her face around to look at his. Quinn couldn't make herself look into his eyes, but she knew he didn't expect her to after knowing her for two years. She never truly looked anyone in the eyes, except her dad, who happened to be the only person she felt comfortable enough with to lock eyes without it being weird. She heard Lee coughing, probably attempting to be conspicuous, although she couldn't fathom why. Fred said quietly, "Listen to me. Even if she did mean it, it's not true. You're not a freak. You're just different."

Quinn rolled her eyes, still trying to push past it and pretend like Angelina's words didn't bother her. "Fred, I'm fine," she said, sounding a bit angrier than she'd intended, sliding off his lap to sit on the bench beside him and pulling her face from his hold. She shook her head. "I've got something way better to tell you about anyway."

Fred sighed, folding his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at her. Quinn cleared her throat and glanced over at Lee and Oliver. Fred shook his head, grinning slightly, then said reluctantly, "Guys, why don't you go see what Angelina's up to?"

Oliver stood to leave without hesitation, but Lee whined, "Oh, come off it! How come we have to leave just when things get interesting?"

Fred merely nodded his head toward the door, and Lee groaned, getting up and following Oliver out. When they were gone, Quinn said excitedly, "Ok, so…"

"Wait," George interrupted. Quinn looked at him, surprised at the displeased expression on his face. He rested his elbows on his knees as he said, "You do understand that what you said to Angelina isn't ok, right?"

Quinn frowned. "What was wrong with it?" she asked. "It was true."

George sighed. "Quinn, that doesn't matter," he moaned.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Oh, let her say what she wants," Fred said. "It's not as though the results aren't fun to watch."

"Fred," George argued. "One of these days, she's going to say something like that to the wrong person, and she's going to get hurt."

"No one would hurt her over something so silly," Fred laughed.

Quinn stared down at her hands in lap, twirling her wand nervously in her hands as George persisted, "Fred! She just told everyone that Angelina's giving blowjobs to some Hufflepuff boy. That hardly qualifies as something silly. It's a big deal. That's the kind of stuff that is supposed to stay secret, even if she thinks it's obvious. If Angelina had been a Slytherin…"

"She still wouldn't have hurt Quinn," Fred insisted. "Not with me sitting right here."

"One of these days, you won't be at her side twenty-four/seven," George snapped. "Admit it, you let her say whatever comes into her head without even trying to help her understand what's socially acceptable and what isn't because you think it's hilarious when she ticks people off."

Fred snorted. "So what if I do? It _is_ hilarious."

"Yeah, but it loses some of its humor when people get mad and start calling her names and…"

"Stop it!" Quinn snapped, orange sparks shooting out of her wand accidentally. "I'm right here. Stop talking about me like I'm not in the room."

"Sorry," the twins said simultaneously. George hung his head, staring at the floor, as Fred's eyes snapped over to Quinn.

Fred reached out and gingerly pulled her wand from her hand, hissing when one of the orange sparks made contact with the skin of his hand. The wand stopped sparking the second her hand lost contact with the wood, and Fred laid it carefully on the bench next to her. "Now," Fred said. "What did you want to tell us?"

Quinn put her feet up on the seat, her back leaning against the wall, the toes of her shoes pressing against Fred's leg, and folded her arms over her chest tightly as she said excitedly, "My dad's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor this year."

"That'll be fantastic," George said, cheering up a bit. "I don't think we've ever actually seen your dad before."

"Yeah, he's excited about it," she said, smiling.

The three talked a while longer, and when the Honeydukes trolley passed, Quinn bought them all chocolate frogs. They were just about to eat their snacks when the train suddenly screeched to a stop, making Quinn knock her head against the wall. The lights went out, sending them into darkness. Quinn's immediate reaction was to reach out and grab Fred's hand as a chill went down her spine. He tugged her to him, pulling his hand out of hers and wrapping his arm around her. He held her securely to his side and took her hand again in his other hand as an overwhelming sense of fear started to take root in her mind. Quinn couldn't help the whimper that escaped her as George whispered, "What's happening?"

Quinn could feel Fred shake his head. "I don't know," he replied, his voice cracking. The train rattled horribly, throwing them around again. Quinn whined and buried her face in Fred's shoulder, tearing her hand from his in favor of clutching the front of his shirt. Fred rubbed her shoulder soothingly, shushing her. "It's ok," he whispered. "I'll never let anything happen to you."

Quinn heard the compartment door slide open and the rustle of a cloak, then the thud of something heavy falling to the floor. "Ouch," Draco whined. "What's going on?"

George snapped, "Quiet, Malfoy. I think I hear something."

There was a rattling sound from the doorway, frightening Quinn enough to leave her a trembling mess in Fred's arms. Fred stopped moving as Quinn felt her "cousin" bump up against her legs and cling to her, the pureblood whimpering in terror. Quinn tightened her grip on Fred's shirt as a loud wolf howl filled her ears; she felt tears burning under her closed eyelids as the image of the one and only time she had ever seen her father transformed into a werewolf before the Wolfsbane Potion had been invented came forward from whatever recesses of her mind in which she had locked it away. There was a low growling echoing through the room, then just as suddenly, it was gone. Another minute later, the lights turned on again. Quinn stayed where she was, unmoving, trying to steady herself. She could feel Draco shaking against her, and Fred resumed his attempts to comfort Quinn. She could feel Fred jump slightly when George dropped a hand on his shoulder. She felt Fred twist to look at George as he asked quietly, "You all right, George?"

George swallowed hard, nodding. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ok. How about you two?"

Fred said, "I'm ok. Quinn?" Quinn opened her eyes, the image of a vicious wolf intent on ripping her four-year-old throat out vanishing as light flooded her eyes. She shook her head against the memory. Fred frowned and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "You ok?"

Draco stuttered from his seat on the floor, "Y-y-yeah, I'm ok."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Not you, Malfoy. Nobody cares if you're ok, ya tosser."

George waved Draco towards the door. "Shoo."

Draco glared at the twins before he quickly ducked out of the compartment. Fred picked up Quinn's dropped chocolate frog from behind her on the bench. "Here," he said worriedly. "Maybe eating this will help."

Quinn nodded, taking the candy from him. "I-it will," she mumbled. "Chocolate's the only way to properly recover from being near a dementor."

Fred shuddered under Quinn at the word "dementor." George said slowly, "How'd you know that's what that was?"

Quinn said slowly, "Because I've seen them before. They came with the aurors to my house this summer. Dad made me eat my weight in chocolate after they left; he got a little overzealous. Made me sick to my stomach from too much chocolate."

Fred snorted at that, recovering his former good mood fastest of the three of them. Brow furrowed, George asked, "Why were dementors and aurors at your house?"

Quinn grinned bitterly. "Probably the same reason dementors were just on the train. Looking for Sirius Black."

Raising an eyebrow at her, Fred asked, "Why would they be looking for him at your house?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "What, did you forget my name?" she drawled before taking another bite out of her chocolate frog. She glanced at the Famous Witches and Wizards card as she pulled it from the package. "Andros the Invincible. How fitting," she said casually, tossing the card on top of her bag on the floor.

Fred tilted his head, watching Quinn. "Quinn Lupin? I don't get it."

Quinn chuckled. "No, no. My full name, Fred, dear." Fred and George exchanged confused glances. "Quinn Lupin-Black?" she supplied with a smirk.

Both boys made "oh" expressions as they remembered. "Oh yeah, I forgot you were related to Sirius Black," George said thoughtfully before biting into a chocolate frog of his own.

Quinn huffed. "Yes, he helped my dad with the… umm… _financial_ difficulties of adopting me, and I'm stuck with his name so that we can keep accessing his money for school supplies and whatnot. He and Dad were best friends before he turned out to be a Death Eater, so the aurors suspected we might be hiding him."

Fred snorted. "Well, that's ridiculous."

George nodded. "Yeah, I mean he's a Death Eater. Why would you and your dad hide him?"

Quinn shrugged, silently reminding herself that she couldn't tell the boys the real reason the Ministry was so suspicious of the Lupin family - that her father was a werewolf. "They were closer than brothers," Quinn said slowly. "And my dad did some sort of spy work for Dumbledore during the war apparently. They suspect that if Sirius were to show up we'd protect him."

"That's ridiculous," Fred scoffed.

Quinn thought over that for a moment, biting her lip. "Yeah, it is. My dad turned him away the second he saw him."

George choked on his chocolate frog and started coughing. Fred slapped his twin's back a few times, staring at Quinn with wide eyes. "Quinn, do you mean to say that Sirius Black actually showed up at your house this summer?" Fred asked, his expression unreadable.

Quinn frowned. "Yes, so?"

George gasped, "Quinn! If your dad didn't report it to the Ministry, you shouldn't tell anyone about it! Your dad could get in serious trouble if he didn't report it."

Quinn bounced her knee nervously as she said, "I don't know if he reported it or not, but what does that matter? It's just you guys. It's not as though I'd go around telling just anyone."

George started to argue, but Fred cut him off. "What was Black like?" Fred asked curiously.

Quinn thought for a moment. "He was…" She struggled to find the right adjective as the twins stared at her, one fascinated, one horrified. "He was nice," she decided, nodding her head in approval of her own choice of words.

"Nice?" George sounded like he was going to choke on the word. "He's a mass-murdering, raving lunatic, and you thought he was nice?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Well, he _was_ nice," she insisted. "He didn't seem like a murderer at all."

"What did he seem like?" Fred asked.

Quinn thought for a moment, knee still bouncing as she took the last bite of her chocolate frog and picked her wand up again. The wand spewed a shower of green sparks the moment her hand made contact, burning her hand. "Ow ow ow," Quinn hissed, dropping the wand on top of her bag as Fred reached out and took her hand, pulling it into his lap to inspect. As Fred frowned at the red marks left on her skin, Quinn said, "Honestly, he reminded me of…" Quinn shook her head. She'd been about to say that he reminded her of herself, but she was second-guessing whether saying that was a good idea. "He just seemed like a man desperate to be proven innocent."

As he pulled a blue potion out of his bag, Fred murmured, "Black claimed he was innocent?" Quinn nodded as he dripped the potion onto her hand and started rubbing it in like lotion. The cool potion took the sting of the burns away as Fred said, "He was probably just trying to convince your dad to let him hide out there. I wouldn't worry about it, Quinn. He was probably lying." Quinn nodded, but she remained unconvinced.

* * *

The next morning, Quinn followed quietly behind Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas as they walked into the Divinations classroom. Quinn immediately hated the class; it was hot and stuffy and smelled like bad perfume. She collapsed into an armchair at a table with Ravenclaw Mandy Brocklehurst, overwhelmed by how crowded the small classroom was. Quinn huffed impatiently as the class suddenly started. "Welcome," Professor Trelawney's voice rang out from the shadows in one corner of the room. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."

Quinn tried to listen as the professor continued to drone on as the woman sat down in a large armchair in the front of the room, but she couldn't focus. She shrugged out of her Gryffindor cardigan, but it didn't help much. The heat left her arms itchy, and she was torn between craving the comfortable familiarity of wearing the cardigan and keeping herself from suffering a heat stroke. The perfume scent from the cauldron in the fireplace made her mind race, and she was starting to develop a headache as she drowned in the stench. Her head jerked up from where she'd been staring at her skirt when Neville nearly fell off his seat. He was talking to the teacher, saying nervously, "I think so."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you, dear," said Professor Trelawney, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings.

Quinn crinkled her nose as Trelawney continued to ramble, annoyed by the constant jingle of the beads and chains that the professor wore. Quinn pulled a scrap of parchment and a quill out of her bag and started writing on it. She wasn't taking notes or anything nearly so productive. Instead, she scribbled song lyrics, all from Muggle songs that she listened to at home, from memory. The flow of the music and words through her head helped quiet her mind somewhat until suddenly Mandy was standing up. Quinn glanced around quickly and realized that she'd missed something, so she stood and followed the other students as they grabbed teacups from the shelves, got tea from Trelawney, and sat back down to drink it. She sat back down with her cup of tea with Mandy, frowning at the cup after she sipped at the tea. First and foremost, Quinn didn't like traditional hot tea. It was bitter and watery; she much preferred to brew sweeter teas with apple juice instead of water. Second, the tea in her cup was far too hot and had burnt her tongue. She swished it around to try to cool it for a few minutes, then Professor Trelawney suddenly screamed. Quinn nearly jumped out her skin, dropping her cup and spilling hot tea all over her lap, making her squeal in pain. She glared at the teacher as she stammered, "My dear boy… my poor, dear boy… no… it is kinder not to say… no… don't ask me…"

"What is it, Professor?" said Dean at once. Everyone else had jumped to their feet to crowd the teacher at Harry's table, and Quinn rolled her eyes, using her half-soaked cardigan to try to soak up the rest of the hot liquid burning her legs.

"My dear," the professor said, sounding frightened. "You have the Grim."

Quinn froze at that. The Grim — the large black dog known as an omen of death throughout the wizarding world. Her mind immediately went to her meeting with Sirius Black. He had first appeared in the form of a large black dog. As half the class gasped in horror, Quinn snorted in an attempt to stifle laughter. Trelawney quickly ended the class, and Quinn raced from the classroom. Rather than going to her next class, Transfiguration, she raced to the third floor instead, walking straight into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom without thinking. Instead of the empty classroom she'd expected, she found herself in a room full of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff fifth years, her dad standing at the front of the room, now paused in the middle of his lecture. Quinn's face flamed as she stuttered, "I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't… I mean…"

She turned to run away, but a hand caught hers, pulling her to a stop. Quinn glanced nervously at the person who stopped her, finding Fred Weasley sitting in the desk closest to the door, his brown eyes staring up at her in concern. Her dad cleared his throat at the front of the room, bringing everyone's attention back to him. He said calmly, "Miss Lupin, why don't you go wait in my office? Class is almost over, then I can help you."

Quinn nodded silently, eyes stinging with unshed tears. Fred whispered, "You ok?"

Quinn nodded despite knowing he could tell she was lying, and he let her hand go, and she rushed across the room and up the stairs to her dad's office. She shut the door behind her quickly and maybe with a bit too much force than the situation called for and dropped herself into a chair in front of his desk. She pulled her Transfiguration textbook out of her bag and began studying the first chapter, knowing that if she not only skipped class but also let her grades slip, over something so silly as spilled tea, her dad would be upset. She struggled to stay focused, but she could hear her dad talking about Stunning Spells downstairs, making it difficult to read a book when he was so much more interesting. She heard him dismiss the class and hurried to find her place in her book again, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat while also trying her best not to move. The stickiness of the now cold tea that soaked her was going to drive her around the twist if she couldn't get cleaned up soon. She was just wondering why in the world she didn't just go back to her dorm to clean herself up instead of coming here when her dad walked into the room, shutting the door behind him and immediately demanding, "What in the _world_ happened to you?"

Quinn took a breath to steady herself before she answered. "Trelawney screamed and made me spill scalding hot tea all over myself," she grumbled, slamming her textbook closed and shoving it into her bag. "I hate that class, Dad. She's an awful teacher, and the room is way too hot and stinks like an old lady."

Remus snorted. "McGonagall warned me you wouldn't like that class. I should've listened," he said with a chuckle. "Why did Trelawney scream?"

Quinn sneered, "She saw the Grim in Harry Potter's teacup, but it's a bunch of complete nonsense. Seamus said he thought it looked like a donkey… or did he say it looked like a deer?"

Tilting his head in thought, Remus evaluated her condition, then sighed. "I guess it's ok that you skipped Transfiguration class this one time," he said. "But never again, ok?"

Quinn grinned. "Agreed upon one condition." Remus raised an eyebrow at her, prompting her to continue. "I get to drop Divination."

Remus thought for a moment. "Agreed," he said with a clever smirk. "But you have to replace it with Ancient Runes, so your two electives would be Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes."

Quinn tilted her head in much the same way as her dad had, pretending to consider the offer. Smiling, she teased, "I accept your terms. Now can we please do something about how sticky I am? It's making my skin crawl."

Remus laughed softly and waved his wand at her. Instantly, the tea disappeared from her skirt and cardigan, the stickiness vanishing along with it. Quinn breathed a sigh of relief as her dad said, "Why don't you go ahead down to Hagrid's? His class starts soon, and I won't have you being late."

Quinn nodded, giving her dad a tight hug before rushing out of his office. She was surprised when she found Fred waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her. He held out his hand for her as she descended the stairs, and once it was in reach, she took it and interlocked their fingers as he asked, "Hey, are you ok? What happened?"

Quinn crinkled her nose at the memory as she answered, "Divinations class went bad. I spilled tea all over myself. I just got rather overwhelmed. I'm ok; I'm just going to drop the class."

Fred nodded as they walked out of the classroom. Quinn could feel Remus watching them leave, but she ignored it, assuming he would think nothing of it. Fred said, "All right, if you're sure. Where to then?" Quinn looked at him, confused. "I checked, your Transfiguration class hasn't let out yet. So your next class can't start for a while. So where are we going?"

"Hagrid's," Quinn answered, and the Weasley twin steered them in the correct direction. As they stepped outside and felt the warm air hit them, Quinn asked, "Where did George go?"

Fred shrugged. "Probably chasing after Katie Bell again," he mused.

Quinn watched his face curiously, unsure of what his expression said. "Does he like her?" she asked, intently scrutinizing his face in an attempt to interpret his reaction.

Shrugging again, Fred grinned mischievously as he replied, "Yeah, probably. He won't talk about it yet though, so I don't recommend asking him about it."

"Why not talk about it though?" Quinn asked as they walked down the hill overlooking Hagrid's garden. "I mean, doesn't he want her to know?"

Fred laughed. "Think about it this way," he said. "If you had a crush on me, would you want me to know about it?"

Breath hitching in her throat, Quinn thought for a moment. She'd honestly never considered the possibility of having a crush on either of the Weasley twins, but now that the idea had been put out into the universe… "Yes," she said slowly. "Yes, I think I would."

Eyes widening in surprise, Fred exclaimed, "You would?"

Quinn nodded and, unable to prevent her palms getting a little sweatier and worrying that Fred might notice, pulled her hand out of his as they got closer to Hagrid's hut. "Yes, I think I would if that were the case."

"Why?"

"Well," Quinn started as the reached Hagrid's door. "How else would we be able to start dating if you didn't know I liked you that way?"

Fred stammered, "Well, yeah, but…" He paused as she looked at him with perpetually curious gray eyes that were starting to cloud over with confusion. He sighed and shook his head. "That's different though; it's a bad example."

"Why's that?" Quinn asked.

"Because," Fred drawled, capturing her hand again. "We're… well, we're just different. If Katie found out that George liked her before he was ready, they might not be friends anymore."

"That's ridiculous," Quinn laughed.

"It's not, though," Fred said gently. "What if she doesn't like him back? If she finds out before George is sure she likes him too, then George might get his feelings hurt."

Quinn frowned. "Ok, I think I see your point," she said quietly. "So I shouldn't say anything about it?"

"Right," Fred said, breathing a sigh of relief and reaching around Quinn to knock on Hagrid's door. Quinn nodded as Hagrid opened the door. "Hey, Hagrid!" Fred exclaimed cheerily. "I've brought your first Care of Magical Creatures student, early for class and everything!"

Quinn laughed as Hagrid said happily, "Good ter see yeh both! Quinn, I've got a very special lesson planned for today; I think you'll especially enjoy it."

Fred and Quinn sat with Hagrid talking about his first day until the other third years started showing up. As the three walked out of the cottage, Fred said, "I'll see you later, Quinn. I've got to go catch up with George; he's always so lost without me." Fred winked, making the blonde giggle before he turned around and started walking back up to the castle.

A voice from behind Quinn said contemptuously, "You could do so much better for friends than the Weasleys, you know."

Huffing, Quinn turned around to face Draco, who was flanked by his usual henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle. "Go away," she sneered.

Draco laughed shortly. "That's the best you could come up with?"

Quinn smirked. "You're criticizing my comebacks when you're falling back on the old 'Weasleys' standby?"

Draco shook his head. "Well, I could have just fallen back on the standard of calling you a freak and psychopath, but I've heard that one's been rather popular lately."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn snapped, "I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning sociopath; do your research."

Draco laughed and pushed past her, Crabbe and Goyle following, all three boys making a point of bumping into her hard enough to nearly knock her over. Neville helped her steady as he said, "Just ignore them, Quinn. That's what I do."

"They're the ones who are freaks, not me," Quinn growled, yanking her arm out of Neville's grasp, nearly falling over again in the process. "Don't touch me. Bunch of bloody idiots…"

"Hey, Quinn?" Neville said nervously.

"What?" Quinn snapped, actually looking at Neville for the first time.

Neville swallowed and said, "Well, I just… you're not a sociopath, you know?"

Quinn's expression softened as confusion put her temper on pause. "What?" she said, softer this time.

"Well, you're just upset, that doesn't make you a sociopath," he said quietly, letting the other students get a little further away from them to give them a little more privacy. "Getting upset is normal; it's ok."

Quinn bit her lip as she felt unwanted tears sting her eyes. She blinked them away, forcing the emotions out of her chest, burying them somewhere else… her stomach, if she had to guess. "Thanks, Neville," she said quietly, then hugged him. When she pulled back, he was blushing and stammering something she couldn't interpret as they caught up with the rest of their class.

When they caught up with the others, Quinn heard the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy saying, "How do we open our books?" The Slytherin was holding up his copy of _The Monster Book of Monsters_ , bound shut with rope.

Quinn laughed aloud, drawing the attention of the entire class. "You mean you haven't figured it out, Malfoy?" she taunted. "A good little pureblood boy like you couldn't figure out how to open a simple book?" She pulled her completely docile copy out of her bag and showed it to the class. Then she ran a finger gingerly down the book's spine as she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You stroke the spine, of course. You've had this book all summer and couldn't get it open?"

Neville pulled his book out of his bag and stroked the spine, and the book immediately ceased quivering, falling to sleep. He untied his book, and the text immediately fell open. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed as other classmates started doing the same.

"Isn't it, though?" Quinn said. She glared at Draco as she said, "I think they're extremely clever, Hagrid."

Hagrid beamed with pride at her words. "Righ' then," Hagrid said. "So yeh've got yer books, an' now yeh need the Magical Creatures. I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on…"

Hagrid strode away into the forest and out of sight before Draco whined loudly, "God, this place has gone to the dogs. That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him —"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry Potter snapped, taking a step in Draco's direction threateningly.

"Careful, Potter," Draco sneered. "There's a dementor behind you —"

Lavender Brown squealed excitedly, pointing to the opposite side of the paddock that Hagrid had led them to for class. Trotting toward them was a herd of hippogriffs; at least a dozen of the half-eagle, half-horse creatures were being led by chain leashes by Hagrid. "Hippogriffs!" Hagrid announced gleefully to the students who, unlike Quinn, didn't recognize the magical creatures. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

Hagrid started teaching the class about the hippogriffs, but Quinn had been reading about them just the night before, completely unaware that she'd be face to face with one that day, so she already knew all the information Hagrid was giving them. Instead of listening, she lost herself in utter fascination of the varying coats, feathers, and colors of the hippogriffs, her favorite being a pinkish roan one that stood a bit shyly behind a few of the other hippogriffs. She was suddenly jerked out of her reverie when she noticed Harry approaching a bluish silver one, bowing to it and freezing when the creature didn't immediately bow back. The hippogriff squawked at him as though annoyed, then seemed to suddenly change its mind and bowed to Harry. A moment later, Hagrid was plopping Harry onto the hippogriff's back, and the beast took flight. Quinn watched in amazement as Harry zoomed around the sky on the creature, a bit jealous and hoping that Hagrid would let her ride one too, despite her fear of heights. Once Harry was safely back on the ground, Hagrid let the other students enter the paddock and introduce themselves to the hippogriffs.

Quinn and Neville approached the roan that Quinn had chosen as her favorite, whose name turned out to be Stormwing. Quinn bowed to it first, giddy with excitement when the hesitant hippogriff bowed back to her, although it kept sending Neville a withering stare, sending him repeatedly running backward from it. She was stroking its feathers when she heard Draco's snarky voice calling Buckbeak, Harry's hippogriff, "You great ugly brute." A mere few seconds later, Draco was on the ground, bleeding and clutching his arm to his chest, yelling, "I'm dying! Look at me; I'm dying! It's killed me!"

"Yer not dyin'!" Hagrid declared although he was suddenly white as a sheet. "Someone help me — gotta get him outta here -" Hermione helped Hagrid hold the gate open as Hagrid easily lifted Draco, and Quinn could see the gash on his arm. It was long and bleeding profusely a dark red, so the talons had most like cut a vein, but Quinn didn't think it appeared to be very deep even as blood spurted onto the ground as Hagrid rushed him up to the Hospital Wing, Pansy Parkinson chasing after them.

Quinn sighed as the Slytherins all shouted about Hagrid, saying horrible, untrue things, as the class walked back up to the castle, and the Gryffindors shouted back, defending Hagrid. She picked up her pace, unable to wait a second longer to get away from all the noise, rushing up to the Gryffindor common room to hide in her bed reading until dinner.

* * *

 **Reviews are much appreciated! I have also recently opened a scarf shop on Etsy called WingardiumStitchiosa, currently selling house scarves before branching out into more Harry Potter themed scarves. For all signed in accounts who leave a review or message me with requests, I will give a $5 discount on their scarf!**


	3. Chapter 3

**September 1993**

Quinn sat on a window bench in a hallway near the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, feet on the bench and knees bent, frowning. She stared out the window, watching a bird that sat on a branch in the tree outside the window that was level with her line of sight. The bird started chirping excitedly, which made Quinn smile slightly. When Fred unexpectedly sat heavily on her feet, she jumped in surprise and tried and failed to free her feet from under Fred. He laughed, taking her hand in his easily. "What's up, buttercup?" he said brightly. "Why so glum?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "You always think I look glum; it's just my face," she teased.

He grinned and leaned in closer. "Yes, but I've been learning to tell when you're actually down and when you're just thinking. You're down. What's up?"

Quinn sighed. "I've got Defense Against the Dark Arts in ten minutes," she complained.

Fred raised an eyebrow at her, sitting back a bit. "What's wrong with that? I thought you said you liked having your dad as a teacher."

"I do!" Quinn exclaimed. "I love having him here. It's just that I know what we're doing for today's lesson, and I don't think I want to participate."

"Well, what are you doing?"

"A practical, hands-on lesson in boggarts," Quinn answered, scrunching up her nose.

"Ah," Fred said in understanding. "You don't want other people to see what you're afraid of?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes, but more than that, I don't think I want to see it either," she said quietly.

"Well, what is it? If you don't mind me asking," Fred pressed.

Quinn grinned, but she knew it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's what bothers me," she whined. "I don't _know_ what scares me most, and I have absolutely no desire to find out."

Fred chuckled softly. "Well, little girl, I think this time you're going to have to be a brave little Gryffindor lion and face your fear anyway," he said, squeezing her hand.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I don't want to," she groaned.

"Tough," Fred said, his eyes sparkling with the laughter Quinn knew he was stifling.

Quinn started to feel her face heat slightly as the thought occurred to her that she was sitting in a corridor alone with a boy who was holding her hand. It was silly, especially considering it was Fred and he held her hand all the time, but for just a moment, it felt as though something had shifted in the atmosphere. Clearing her throat, Quinn changed the subject. "Hey, Fred?"

"Oh, didn't you know?" he teased. "I'm not Fred; I'm George."

Quinn laughed. "Liar," she said knowingly.

"You can't know that for sure," Fred insisted.

"Yes, I can," Quinn declared. "Because George wouldn't have insisted on crushing my feet under his heavy arse." Laughing hard, Fred scooted over, freeing Quinn's feet so she could set them back on the ground. After a beat, Quinn asked, "Hey, what did you mean that we were different?"

Fred stopped laughing, glancing at her. "What do you mean?"

She glanced around to make sure they wouldn't be overheard before she replied. "The other day, when we were talking about George and Katie," she said softly. "You said that if it were you and me, it'd be different. What did you mean?"

Fred shifted nervously. "Oh, that," he said, trying to sound more relaxed than his posture said he was as Quinn eyed him. "I just meant that…"

"Quinn," her dad's voice interrupted. She looked up at him, surprised, and Fred jumped, pulling his hand out of Quinn's, which made her frown. She sent him a look of confusion as her dad said, "I hope you weren't planning on skipping my class," her dad said disapprovingly, but Quinn could tell he was putting on a show for Fred. She could see the mischief in his green eyes.

"Of course not," Quinn said, bouncing up from her seat. "We can walk there together. See you later, Fred?"

Fred nodded, and Quinn and Remus headed down the corridor toward the classroom. Remus asked suddenly, "Does he always hold your hand like that?"

Bemused, Quinn answered honestly, "Pretty much always. Why?"

Remus shrugged. "No reason. Are you ok with that?"

Quinn smiled. "Yeah, I am."

Remus nodded as they reached the classroom door. "Ok, then."

* * *

Quinn laughed with the rest of the class. Neville had transformed his boggart of Professor Snape to wear his grandmother's clothing, and Quinn wasn't sure if she'd ever seen anything funnier. Remus made the class line up. Parvati's mummy fell over and lost its head; Seamus's banshee lost its voice. Dean's severed hand got caught in a mousetrap, and Ron's giant spider was suddenly wearing roller skates and couldn't stand. Quinn stepped forward, still not sure what the boggart would turn into as the roller-skating spider zeroed in on her. It spun for a moment, then _crack!_ In the spider's place was a huge, shaggy black dog. It barked at her and wagged its tail, perfectly friendly, its gray eyes entirely focused on Quinn… _Wait_ , she hesitated as she had already taken a step toward it. _Gray eyes_. Then she recognized the dog for what it was. Sirius Black. She glanced at her dad, and judging by the tight line of his mouth and his narrowed eyes, he recognized the dog too. She could hear the some of her classmates laughing at her, and Draco scoffed, "What's the matter, Black? Afraid of a little Grim?"

Quinn shook her head, pointed her wand and cried, "Riddikulus!" Her wand sputtered, but the dog remained. She shook her head again. She didn't understand; she wasn't afraid of Sirius Black.

The boggart spun again, and the human form of Sirius Black stood in front of her. She heard one of the other girls scream, but she couldn't tear her eyes away to find out who. Quinn blinked, and somehow in that second, the boggart was behind her, whispering in her ear in a croaky voice that, while similar to what she remembered Black sounding like, she knew deep down wasn't right, "I'm guilty, love. I murdered all those people, and I laughed at their pain."

"Hey!" Harry yelled, and Black looked over at him, a crazed look in his eyes. Quinn started to turn around as the boggart's form shivered. She raised her wand to it, but —

"Here!" Remus shouted suddenly, and Black's eyes snapped to him. Sirius Black vanished, and in his stead floated a silvery-white orb that only Quinn recognized for what it truly was — a full moon. He waved his wand lazily at the boggart and said, "Riddikulus." As the boggart fell to the floor as a cockroach, he said, "Forward, Neville, and finish him off!"

 _Crack!_ Snape was back. This time Neville charged forward looking determined. "Riddikulus!" he shouted, and Snape was back in a lacy dress and fox fur. Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the boggart exploded into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke and was gone. Quinn fought a shiver that ran down her spine at the memory of the boggart's cold breath on the back of her neck as her dad gave out house points and dismissed the class. She was surprised when Neville came into her field of vision and asked, "Hey, you ok?"

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, yeah," she said quickly. "It's just a silly boggart. Let's get to Charms class, yeah?"

Neville nodded, and they started to walk out until Remus's voice pulled Quinn to a halt. "Miss Lupin, why don't you stay a few minutes? I'll make sure your tardiness is excused by Professor Flitwick." Neville hesitated, but when Quinn nodded for him to go on, he left, leaving her alone with her dad in the teacher's lounge. She didn't even turn around to look at him as he asked her, "What happened there, Quinn?"

Quinn shook her head. "Just a boggart trying to scare me with something ridiculous."

"Must've worked; you were absolutely paralyzed," Remus worried. "What did Black say to you?"

Shaking her head again, she turned around to face Remus, though she still didn't meet his eyes. "It was nothing," she insisted.

"It can't have been nothing," Remus persisted. "You were shaking like a leaf. You were terrified of whatever it was he said to you."

Quinn huffed, deciding in that moment to lie to her dad for the first time. "He said he'd kill you," she rushed the words out of her mouth before she could think them through. Remus was stunned into a momentary silence, so she scrambled to think of more details. "He said he'd kill you like he killed Peter Pettigrew if we didn't protect him from the dementors," she said lamely, feeling foolish for lying. She couldn't bear to know what her dad would think if he knew that her biggest fear was apparently that Sirius Black had lied at their house that summer, that he wasn't innocent and was a Death Eater and that she'd been wrong about him.

Remus recovered and hugged her to him, muttering, "Don't worry; that's never going to happen, ok?" Quinn nodded against his chest, guilt filling her lungs and making it difficult to breathe. "I mean it, Quinn. It's not even possible. For starters, your old man happens to be a bloody good wizard. Second, I know all of Black's tricks, so he couldn't possibly beat me in a duel, then there's the fact that Black will never get past the Dementors to get in here to attack us. Ok?"

Quinn pulled away and nodded, still not meeting his eyes. "Ok. I gotta go to class," she said quickly, turning and running out the door as fast as she could.

* * *

 **October 1993**

Quinn was sitting in the common room with Hermione and Ron as the room buzzed excitedly. Even Quinn couldn't help but smile a bit as Hermione and Ron argued over what to do first, ignoring the star charts they were supposed to be completing for Astronomy. The Gryffindor Quidditch team suddenly poured through the portrait hole, and Quinn's eyes immediately shot past Harry to Fred and George, who looked exhausted. Quinn smiled wider when Fred's brown eyes locked onto her gray ones for a few seconds, and he grinned back. Harry approached his three classmates and asked, "What's happened?"

"First Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."

"Excellent," said Fred as he sat down on the arm of Quinn's chair. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets." Quinn scrunched up her nose at that, resisting the urge to tell him not to bother replenishing his supply. She hated the way the things stunk up an entire corridor when he'd set them off, so she'd been slowly siphoning away his supply of Stink Pellets since the first day of school.

Harry threw himself into a chair beside Ron, and Quinn thought he looked a little sadder than he had when he first walked up. Hermione must've understood, because she said, "Harry, I'm sure you'll be able to go next time. They're bound to catch Black soon. He's been sighted once already."

"Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," Ron said. "Ask McGonagall if you can go this time, Harry. The next one might not be for ages —"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "Harry's supposed to stay in school —"

"He can't be the only third year left behind," Ron insisted. "Ask McGonagall, go on, Harry."

"Yeah, I think I will," said Harry, making up his mind.

Quinn shook her head as Fred leaned over her. She looked up as his Quidditch robes brushed the back of her neck and found his eyes trained on her star chart. His mouth was quirked to the side as he focused on the piece of parchment, and he pointed at a star on her map. "That one's off," he said quietly.

For a moment, Quinn was frozen. Her chest felt tight until Fred glanced at her, realizing she'd been staring at his jaw, and winked at her. The breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding rushed out of her, and she asked, "Which one's off?"

Fred smirked slightly and pointed at the parchment again. "That one in Canis Major. It should be a little more to the right."

Quinn frowned, then checked her textbook. Fred was right; she'd placed the star Sirius too far to the left, probably momentarily distracted by the star's name to be bothered with accuracy. Quinn nodded. "You're right; thanks."

Fred chuckled softly and started to reply, but Crookshanks had suddenly launched himself at Ron's bag, where Scabbers was sleeping. "OY!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks attempted to destroy it. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"

Hermione squealed, "Ron, don't hurt him!"

The whole common room was watching them now, and Scabbers came flying out of the bag. "CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks chased after the terrified Scabbers. George lunged for Crookshanks but missed; Scabbers streaked through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks swiped furiously under it with his front paw, determined to catch the rat. Hermione grabbed Crookshanks and heaved him away, and Ron threw himself onto his stomach and, with great difficulty, pulled Scabbers out by his tail. "Look at him!" he said furiously to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"

Quinn was fairly certain she was the only one who could hear Fred snickering at his younger brother and the bushy-haired girl as they argued. Moments later, Ron was marching through the common room and out of sight up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Quinn went back to frowning at her star chart, then tapped Fred's chest to regain his attention. He looked down at her, and she asked, "What else is wrong with my star chart?" Fred laughed and slid down to sit in the main seat of the armchair with her, pulling her legs across his lap and using them as a prop for her textbook and parchment as he resumed examining and correcting her homework.

* * *

Halloween morning, Quinn sat at breakfast with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville, trying her best to not look as though she felt sorry for Harry being stuck in the castle while everyone else went to Hogsmeade for the day. It was difficult not to, though, as her own dad had nearly decided to revoke the privilege for her, too, out of fear that Sirius Black might attempt to make contact with her again. After a few arguments over the logistics and probabilities of that actually occurring over the course of the month of October, Remus had finally relented and given her permission to go, although he insisted that she was not to be completely alone at any point. "We'll bring you lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," Hermione told Harry, looking desperately sorry for him.

Quinn focused on the pancakes on her plate as Ron added, "Yeah, loads." Ron and Hermione had finally forgotten their weeks of fighting over their pets in the face of Harry's great disappointment.

"Don't worry about me," Harry said offhandedly. "I'll see you at the feast. Have a good time."

Quinn smiled at Harry's upbeat attitude as Fred and George appeared on either side of her. "Ready to go?" George asked with a mischievous grin.

"Go?" Quinn repeated.

"Yeah," Fred said behind her, and she whipped her head around to look at him as he took her hand and tangled their fingers together. "You're going with us, right?"

Quinn nodded. "I didn't know I was, but sure," she said cheerfully.

She let Fred help her up and followed the twins out of the Great Hall. Looking back, Quinn saw her third year friends close behind, as Filch checked off names in the Entrance Hall, making sure no one was sneaking out that shouldn't be going, like Harry. "Staying here, Potter?" Draco Malfoy shouted across the hall, making Crabbe and Goyle laugh. "Scared of passing the dementors?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, and Harry ignored Draco, turning and heading up the stairs, much to Quinn's relief. After Filch confirmed they were allowed to leave, she and Fred followed the crowd of students down to Hogsmeade in silence. As they walked, Quinn suddenly looked around, finding that George had disappeared. "Where'd George go?" she asked, biting her lip.

Fred shrugged. "Probably went to catch up with Katie again," he said nonchalantly.

Quinn nodded. Switching subjects, she said, "I'm glad Harry's ok with staying behind now. I was worried he was going to be sad sitting up in the castle by himself all day."

Fred raised an eyebrow at her. "What makes you think he's ok with it?"

Quinn hesitated. "Well, he, umm, he said at breakfast he was fine."

"Anything else?" Quinn shook her head. Fred smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "He's miserable about it, dear," he said gently. "Of course, he's going to say he's fine with it because he doesn't want his friends to feel sorry for him or to spoil their good time. But he'd much rather be out here with all of us."

Frowning, Quinn looked down at her shoes as they walked. "He didn't seem sad, though," she muttered.

Fred squeezed her hand again. "Hey, it's ok," he said. "I'm sure he probably didn't. It's just one of those subtle things; it's not easy to pick up on. You'll get it."

Quinn sighed. "Ok."

As they reached the village, Fred asked, "Ok, so where to first? Zonko's?"

Rolling her eyes with a good-natured smile, Quinn said, "Sure."

The pair took their time in both Zonko's and Honeydukes, exploring it to the fullest and leaving with enough candy and joke products to easily last them through Christmas. As they walked down the street toward the bookshop, Quinn shivered. Fred must've noticed because he pulled them to a stop, turned her to face him, and took her Gryffindor scarf. He wrapped it around her neck again, tighter and more stable in place than Quinn had managed to get it herself. He frowned at her ears, red from cold, and took off his blue knit cap and put it on her, pulling it down to cover her ears, accidentally covering her eyes in the process. Quinn giggled and pushed the fabric out of her eyes, adjusting the cap until it sat more comfortably on her head. Fred was smiling at her when a subtle movement behind him caught her attention. There was a break in the buildings, and she could see the forest edging a secondary path that led up to the Shrieking Shack, just like the main road. On that path stood a large black dog that wagged its tail at her, and Quinn's mouth dropped open. "Quinn?" Fred's voice was filled with concern as she spaced out, her focus resting entirely on the dog that was now trotting in their direction. It stopped, dropped so that its nose was on the ground and its tail in the air, still wagging, and then started to run off into the woods. Quinn didn't think; she bolted after the dog. "Quinn, wait!" Fred shouted, but Quinn had too much of a head start for him to catch her.

Rushing into the forest without hesitation, her eyes searched the underbrush for the dog to no avail. She continued in the general direction the dog had seemed to be running, slowing slightly. She could hear Fred calling her name, looking for her, as a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides. She was lifted against a strong chest and pulled behind a tree, out of sight, as Fred started to come closer. "Don't scream," a hoarse voice whispered in her ear. "I just want to talk, but your friend can't see me. Do you want to hear me out?"

Quinn hesitated, her quick, shallow breaths against his hand that smelled like pine sap and dirt betraying her panic. After a moment's evaluation, she nodded, and he removed his hand from in front of her mouth. Fred was still yelling for her, his voice louder than it was before. Quinn whispered to Black, now able to turn around and face the escaped criminal, "What do you want?"

His gray eyes were filled with a mix of emotions that Quinn couldn't understand, so she stopped trying and instead focused on the numerous tattoos that peeked out from under the fabric of his slightly-too-small stolen clothes. He took a ragged breath and answered quietly, "So many things. But I think we've only got time for one of them. You're friends with the Weasley kids?" Quinn nodded. "Good," Sirius declared, surprising Quinn. "You know the one with the pet rat?"

Flabbergasted, Quinn asked, "How could you possibly know about that?"

"I'll explain that later when I'm a free man again," Sirius said hurriedly. "That rat isn't a rat at all. It's a man named Peter Pettigrew. He's an animagus like me." When Quinn's only response was to continue staring at the tattoo on his chest where it was visible under his open shirt collar, he pressed, "Listen to me, little pup. I need that rat to prove my innocence. Can you help me get at him?"

Biting her lip nervously, she mumbled, "I don't know; Ron really loves Scabbers. It's been hard enough on him that Hermione's cat's been trying to eat him…"

"The cat works for me," Sirius said. "He's part kneazle; I can sort of communicate with him in my animagus form. He's after the rat because he's trying to help prove my innocence. He doesn't want to eat him; he's trying to bring him to me."

"What'll you do with him once you have him?" Quinn asked suddenly, looking up at Sirius's face.

"QUINN! WHERE ARE YOU!" Fred shouted, closer than before, making both Sirius and Quinn jump.

"I don't have time to explain more," Sirius rushed. "Just help me. What time will everyone be out of Gryffindor tonight? You have to make sure Weasley leaves the rat there."

Quinn frowned. "Well, the feast is at 6, but —"

Placing a hand on the back of her head, Sirius suddenly pulled Quinn forward and dropped a kiss on top of her head, startling her into nearly losing her balance. "Pup, you're an angel," Sirius declared. "I'll be able to come home soon; I promise, ok?"

Quinn said, "But, wait —"

But Sirius had already shifted. A huge black dog stood at her feet. He suddenly lunged out from behind the tree, and Quinn heard a tumble and Fred yelling, "Ow, hey!" She raced after Sirius, only to find he had knocked Fred to the ground and was licking his face rather enthusiastically, tail wagging. He looked up at Quinn, gave one bark, then raced away into the woods. Fred looked around, confused, and when his eyes found Quinn, he jumped up. He crossed the short distance between them and demanded, "Quinn, what the bloody hell was that? You can't just go running off into the woods by yourself! What were you thinking? And where the bloody hell did that dog come from?"

Quinn looked down, eyes stinging with salty tears. If there was anyone she hated having upset with her more than her father, it was Fred Weasley, and he was obviously furious. "I-I'm sorry," Quinn stuttered, tugging at the fringe of her Gryffindor scarf anxiously. "I-I saw the d-dog, and I guess I just…"

Then his arms were thrown around her with serious force, nearly knocking her over, but somehow he held her steady. "You scared me," he whispered as he buried his face in her hair against the back of her neck.

Brow furrowing, Quinn said, confused, "Wait, you were scared?"

Fred pulled back, saying, "Of course I was scared! You disappeared all alone in a giant forest with Sirius Black out and about. He could be anywhere. I was worried about your safety."

Quinn tilted her head to the side, still bewildered. "You're not mad at me?" she asked slowly.

Rolling his eyes, Fred said, "Well, no, not exactly. I'm pissed you just took off on me like that. But I was more scared you were going to get hurt than anything else." Quinn nodded, somewhat starting to understand. Fred sighed. "Bookshop?" he offered as his breathing started to return to normal.

Quinn nodded, and Fred intertwined their fingers again, his grip tighter than usual, leading her easily out of the forest and back into Hogsmeade. He set her loose in Tomes and Scrolls, and she wandered the stacks aimlessly, regularly disappearing from one aisle to another and giving Fred miniature heart attacks. After she'd gotten distracted by a book on kneazles and disappeared around another corner, Fred rushed to find her, and when he did, he dropped an arm heavily around her shoulders, holding her tight against his side. She jumped and looked up at the much taller boy, mumbling, "Oops."

Fred couldn't help the small breath of laugh that escaped him. "Yeah, oops," he agreed. "You are almost bloody impossible to shop with, the way you constantly disappear, you know that?"

"She does," Remus said behind them, making them both jump. "Or at least, she should, as many times as I've expressed those same sentiments."

"Hi, Dad," Quinn said nervously. It had suddenly occurred to her that she'd not only spoken with Sirius Black but also unintentionally agreed to help him — not good. She also realized that she'd forgotten to ask Fred not to mention it to anyone.

"Hi," Remus replied, green eyes twinkling with mischief. "Let me guess, Mr. Weasley. You think she's right behind you, and for a few minutes, she is. Then she spots something interesting in the opposite direction, and just like that, she's disappeared."

"Constantly, sir," Fred said. "I was just about to suggest making her wear a leash."

Remus grinned. "Ah, well let me save you the time. I already tried that when she was younger. Gives her a rash, and the other parents look at you like you've lost your mind."

"Dad!" Quinn whined, face flushing.

"Oh, what a pity," Fred said, disappointed. Quinn rolled her eyes and pulled herself out from under his arm. "It'd certainly make it easier to keep her from running off. Like earlier — OW!"

Quinn had stomped on his foot, doing her best to make it look accidental. "Oops, I'm sorry," she apologized without sounding the least bit sorry. "Hey, Fred, you know what? We were supposed to meet George at the Three Broomsticks like ten minutes ago, weren't we?" Fred frowned, confused and annoyed that she'd stepped on his foot, but he went along with her anyway. "See you later, Dad!" Quinn said with forced cheer as she rushed Fred to the counter to buy the books she'd picked out then out the door.

Once they were out in the street, Fred hurried along beside her toward the Three Broomsticks. "What was that about?" Fred asked grouchily.

"I forgot to ask you not to mention that bit about the dog," Quinn said quietly, moving in closer both to be heard better and to dispel the chill in the air with Fred's body warmth.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to break my foot," Fred complained.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating," she said. "But I see your point; I'm sorry I stomped on your foot so hard." Fred raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed. "Fine," she conceded. "I'm sorry for stomping on your foot at all."

Fred grinned. "Better." After a beat, he asked, "Why exactly are we keeping the dog secret from your dad?"

Quinn frowned. "He won't let me come back to Hogsmeade anymore if he knew I ran off into the woods by myself after a stray. He's been a bit overprotective since Sirius Black escaped."

Fred thought for a moment, and as they walked into the Three Broomsticks, he snatched his cap off her head with a grin and held a chair out for Quinn, helping her scoot forward before dropping unceremoniously into the seat beside her. "Ok, I won't tell anyone," Fred smirked.

Recognizing the look on the troublemaker's face, Quinn narrowed her eyes at him. "But?"

Fred shrugged. "Oh, I haven't decided yet. Just remember, you owe me," he teased.

* * *

That night, Quinn sat wedged between Fred and George at the Halloween Feast. The Great Hall had been decorated while they'd spent the day in Hogsmeade with hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant water snakes. The food was incredible, and Quinn somehow managed to eat a second helping of her favorites, despite all the food and candy she'd stuffed herself with throughout the day. She'd watched her dad every now and again throughout the feast for any sign that he was suspicious of their earlier conversation, but Remus had been cheerful and talking animatedly throughout the feast with Professor Flitwick, so she supposed she was safe. The feast finished with a bit of formation gliding by the Hogwarts ghosts, but Quinn couldn't focus on it, too distracted by Sirius Black's line of questioning from earlier. She couldn't help but wonder what he had planned that required getting all of the students out of Gryffindor house for the night?

As they left the hall, Quinn clung tightly to Fred's arm, letting the fifth year guide her feet as her distracted mind stayed lost in thought. Fred didn't mind, as usual, and talked in low tones with George and Lee Jordan about some prank they wanted to pull. Lee was suggesting they should prank Professor Lupin, and Fred was insisting they not do that when the conversation became interesting enough to pull Quinn out of her thoughts. "Do it," Quinn said.

Fred stared at her in surprise. "What?"

"You heard me," Quinn teased. "Do it. Dad would love it if his students pranked him sometimes. Fair warning though, you'll be starting an all-out prank war if you do, and he's _good_. So just be sure you know what you're doing before you go and start anything."

"He's that good?" George said in surprise.

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, he says he and his friends were the pranking kings back in their school days — OW!"

"Sorry," Neville apologized, as his sudden stop on the path to Gryffindor Tower had caused Quinn to walk right into him. "But the corridor's jammed."

Quinn peered past him, and sure enough, every Gryffindor was stuck in the hall outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, and the portrait was most definitely closed. "Why isn't anyone going in?" Ron, appearing behind them, asked curiously.

"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password — excuse me, I'm Head Boy —"

A silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. Quinn tightened her grip on Fred's arm, leaning into him and biting her lip hard, worried that maybe Sirius Black had found a way up to Gryffindor tower after all, and they were all staring at some dead body or something in front of the tower. She heard Percy say, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

Hermione stood next to Quinn on tiptoe, trying to see over the taller students to get a glimpse of what happened. "What's going on?" Ginny said quietly, having only just arrived.

"We don't know yet," Quinn whispered back as Professor Dumbledore swept past them toward the portrait, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione used the space created to let Dumbledore pass to get a closer look.

"Oh, my —" Hermione gasped, grabbing Harry's arm.

Quinn slipped away from Fred, jumping up behind Harry and Hermione. She gently placed her hands on Harry's shoulders, more to let him know she was there than anything else, and peered around him. The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. Quinn gasped in horror as Dumbledore took one quick look at it and turned, his eyes somber, to Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin, hurrying toward him. "We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice. It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore said calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead, he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Oh, yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, Sirius Black."


	4. Chapter 4

**October 1993**

Quinn froze, her heart beating wildly while her lungs stopped working entirely. Sirius Black had destroyed the Fat Lady, and it was all her fault. She felt a pair of large, familiar hands on her shoulders, and Harry stepped out of the way as her dad appeared in her field of vision. "We need to talk, _now_ ," Remus growled, pulling her away from the other students. Moments later, she was in a corridor that was empty except for herself, her dad, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall. Quinn bit her lip anxiously as her dad demanded, "Ok, Quinn, little pup, you have to tell me the truth here, ok? Did Black make contact with you?"

It took Quinn a moment to react. On one hand, she owed Black nothing, and she hadn't _really_ done anything to help him or given him any important information. On the other hand, the very day that he'd made contact with her, he'd also managed to break into Hogwarts and destroy the Fat Lady when she refused him entrance to Gryffindor tower, which would be very damning for her if she admitted to seeing him. So she shook her head and said as firmly as she could, "No. I've not had any kind of contact with him."

"You're certain?" Dumbledore asked quietly, and Quinn looked at the headmaster, wavering for a split second, then nodded.

"Ok," Remus breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, but I had to be sure before Snape —"

"Professor Lupin," Dumbledore interrupted. "Perhaps Miss Lupin here should join her fellow students in the Great Hall now that we've established her innocence?"

Remus frowned but nodded. "Right, you'd better do that," he said softly.

The three teachers made sure that Quinn, along with the rest of the student body, made it to the Great Hall safely, and then at the doors, her dad turned back to go search the castle for Black with the other teachers. Quinn quickly found Fred, George, and Lee again, launching herself into Fred's open arms the moment he saw her. "Where'd you go?" he asked, stroking her gold hair soothingly.

"Well, Dad –" Quinn started, but Dumbledore's booming voice interrupted her.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," the headmaster announced as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all the doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects standing guard over the entrances to the hall, and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts." Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh yes, you'll be needing…" One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves up against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags. "Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

The Great Hall immediately began to buzz excitedly as the Gryffindors told the rest of the school what had happened. Quinn leaned against Fred, overwhelmed by the noise and her own guilty conscience. Fred watched her, brown eyes worried, as Percy shouted, "Everyone into their sleeping bags! Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

All around Quinn, people were asking each other the same question: _how did he get in?_ "Maybe he knows how to apparate," said a Ravenclaw a little ways away. "Just appear out of thin air, you know."

"Disguised himself, probably," a fifth year Hufflepuff said confidently to George, and the idea shook Quinn to the core.

' _A disguise – like the ability to turn into a dog at will?'_ she thought to herself, not noticing that she was shaking until Fred leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "What's wrong?"

Quinn pulled her trembling body out of Fred's grasp, grabbing the nearest sleeping bag quickly to keep herself busy. Fred followed suit, picking up another sleeping bag and arranging it next to hers. George raised an eyebrow at the pair, then shrugged and did the same, settling down next to Fred. Quinn huffed and said, "It's nothing."

Fred caught her hand as she sat down on top of her sleeping bag, watching her stormy gray eyes for a minute before he asked quietly, "Does this have something to do with earlier —"

"Shhhhh," Quinn hissed, lunging forward and covering his mouth with her hand.

Fred raised both eyebrows at her, not the least bit surprised by her reaction. George, however, was completely flummoxed. "I'm missing something; I know it," George said as Lee brought his sleeping bag beside George's.

Lee laughed, "With these two, everyone's always missing something."

Quinn shook her head, her eyes pleading with Fred to let it drop. Fred easily pulled her hand from his mouth, holding onto her wrist and using his other hand to take hold of her other wrist as well. In seconds, he had her pinned to her sleeping bag, hovering over her, the only points of contact their hands. Quinn's heart raced as he looked down at her. "Remember how you owe me?" Fred reminded, and Quinn winced, knowing what was coming next. "I want an explanation."

"Fine," Quinn snapped, squirming uncomfortably, trying to wriggle free, until he finally let her sit up.

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. Quinn stared up at the stars until her eyes landed on Canis Major and Sirius. She frowned at them, unsure what to believe, when Fred suddenly touched her face, and she stifled a squeak of surprise. She looked over at him, finding his face was much closer than she'd been expecting, and he whispered, "Explanation, now."

Quinn shook her head. "No way," she whispered back. "Not when literally anyone could overhear. Tomorrow?"

Fred thought it over, then said quietly, "Fine, tomorrow. But I'm not forgetting." Quinn nodded and settled back down into her surprisingly cozy sleeping bag. Between the lighting and the constant whispering that still filled the hall, Quinn was lulled to sleep in minutes.

* * *

The next morning, the school talked of nothing but Sirius Black. The theories on how he broke in the castle were spiraling out of control, growing wilder and wilder. Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff in Quinn's year, was becoming quite persistent that Black could turn into a flowering shrub. How being a shrub was supposed to be a logical way to break into Hogwarts Quinn would never know. Immediately after breakfast, Fred dragged Quinn up to the Astronomy tower, the one totally deserted place in the castle at that time of day. "Spill," he commanded, leaning back against the railing casually, propped up by his elbows.

"What, no foreplay?" Quinn teased, and although Fred tried to hide it, she could see the slight flush on his neck.

"Oh, shush, you're not even old enough to know that word," Fred taunted, doing his best to be nonchalant, but Quinn could see that she'd gotten under his skin, whether she'd meant to or not… which she hadn't.

Quinn cleared her throat nervously and, after a few minutes of quiet stalling, said, "Ok, fine. But first, you have to swear you won't tell _anyone_ what I tell you. I mean it. Not even George."

Fred sighed. "All right, I promise I won't tell. Now, what is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Quinn said so quickly that her words almost blended together, "I saw Sirius Black in the woods in Hogsmeade yesterday and we talked and he asked about things and I think it's my fault he destroyed the Fat Lady."

Taken aback, it took Fred an extra moment to process exactly what Quinn had said, and when he did, he shocked her by laughing. When Quinn started biting her lip, Fred got more serious. "What?" he said. "Aren't you joking?"

Quinn shook her head. "No, I'm not. I talked to Sirius Black yesterday. He was asking for help, asking when Gryffindor was going to be empty last night, saying he was innocent…"

"Do you believe him?" Fred asked. Quinn stopped, only just realizing she was pacing, and stared at him, unsure she'd heard him correctly. He seemed to sense this, because he pushed off the rail and stepped forward, slowly closing the space between them, as he repeated, "Do you believe him?"

Quinn hesitated as Fred took her hand and tangled their fingers together. "I'm not entirely sure," she said honestly. "But I think I do."

Fred sighed. Quinn could practically see his brain working, probably trying to figure out how to approach the subject from her perspective. "Ok," he said slowly. "Based on what evidence?"

That wasn't the question Quinn had been expecting. She thought for a moment, then said, "Well, I suppose I don't really have any evidence, although he claims that the evidence is somewhere in Gryffindor tower."

"Why would it be there?" Fred asked, his grip tightening as his frustration slowly increased.

"I don't know," Quinn groaned. "But he says it's there. Something about Scabbers not being a real rat…"

"Ron's rat, Scabbers?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes, and no, I don't know how he even knows Scabbers exists, which seems to be evidence in his favor that he's telling the truth," Quinn said, words spilling from her at a million miles an hour. "And I don't believe he ever took the Dark Mark, so I seriously doubt he's a Death Eater like Snape was because he doesn't scratch at his arm like Snape does…"

"Snape? Slow down," Fred said. "What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious? I thought everyone knew," Quinn sneered, unaware of her tone of voice, too focused on the information. "Snape used to be a Death Eater. That's why when he's just sitting around he's all the time absentmindedly scratching at his left arm like he's got a bad rash. That's where the Dark Mark used to be."

"Why do you know that?" Fred said, apparently just as annoyed with her level of knowledge as she was with his lack thereof.

Rolling her eyes, Quinn answered impatiently, "Dad went to school with Snape; they've got history. I don't know; it's some stupid rivalry. The _point_ is, Snape was a Death Eater, and he has a habit of scratching at his arm like he's got a bad itch when he's lost in thought. I didn't get to talk to Black for very long, but he didn't touch that arm the entire time both times I've seen him, which suggests that he never even had the Dark Mark. How unlikely does it seem to you that Voldemort's supposedly most loyal servant wouldn't even have the Dark Mark on his arm? Because it seems extremely implausible to me, which would suggest that he was never a Death Eater, and if he was never a Death Eater, why would he betray the Potters to Voldemort and murder all those innocent Muggles and his friend Peter? Can you think of a reason? Because I legitimately can't."

"Quinn," Fred said loudly, pulling herself out of her head enough to realize that she'd been attempting to pace while he held her hand and remained still. She huffed and stopped, giving him her most exasperated facial expression. Fred chose to ignore it and said, "Calm down. I can't think of one either, but just because his arm wasn't itchy doesn't mean that the mark was never there. It could mean nothing at Ministry says he confessed to the murders."

"No," Quinn argued, stamping her foot. "They said he confessed to the murders of the Potters; as far as my research has shown, he never confessed to murdering Peter Pettigrew or those Muggles."

"So what?" Fred snapped, losing his patience. "They found him standing there over the bodies laughing. He was _laughing_ , Quinn. The man is completely mad, ok? I get that in some ways he's another dad to you, but he's a bloody psychopath, Quinn." Quinn flinched at his harsh tone, but Fred ignored it. "Damn it, you've got to come back to reality on this one. Sirius Black is a murderous, raving lunatic, a manipulative sociopath, and he's guilty. You've got to accept it."

Quinn bit her lip, yanking her hand out of Fred's and folding her arms over her chest, practically hugging herself. She glared at Fred as she said coldly, "You want to know the biggest reason why I believe him?" Fred sighed, but before he could respond she continued, "Because, in some way, he reminds me of myself. Something about the way that manipulative sociopath talks and carries himself, something in his eyes reminds me of me."

Quinn turned to leave, and Fred started to follow, saying, "Quinn, wait!" She pulled out her wand and waved it behind her, without a word or even looking at him. She heard him cry out as the Leg-Locker Curse hit him and knocked him to the floor, and she continued to race down the stairs, rushing to her Ancient Runes class to lose herself in her books.

* * *

Quinn absolutely refused to go anywhere near Fred for the next week. He'd tried to talk to her, whether to apologize or not she couldn't be sure, as she'd fled the room every time he approached. She spent all her free time in places she knew Fred wouldn't approach her — her dorm room, her father's office, and the library. She'd been forced to give up on the library by Wednesday, however, when Hermione had blabbed to Fred that Quinn was hiding in the Potions section, forcing her to spend more time in the dormitory. Fred had kept her secret just like he'd promised, despite her being angry with him, which had surprised her a little, but she was grateful anyway. On Friday, Quinn dropped into her usual seat in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, dreading the lesson as she knew Snape would be substituting for her dad as the full moon was that night, and debating with herself whether it was time to make up with Fred. She knew he had a Quidditch game the next day, and she was just considering whether to go to the game to support him when a loud bang announced that the classroom door had been thrown open. Harry Potter was dashing to his desk, saying, "Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin, I —"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks before reaching his desk, horrified to find Snape sitting behind Professor Lupin's desk. "This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down."

But Harry didn't move. "Where's Professor Lupin?" he said.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile that made Quinn's stomach churn. She knew that Snape was all too aware of the true reason that her dad wasn't teaching that day, and she didn't like it one bit. "I believe I told you to sit down?"

Harry stayed where he was. "What's wrong with him?" Harry demanded.

Snape's black eyes glittered. "Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were, which only served to spike Quinn's temper. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty."

Harry walked slowly the rest of the way to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around the class. "As I was saying before Potter interrupted," Snape started, although Quinn couldn't remember him talking before Harry came in. "Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far —"

"Please, sir, we've done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows," said Hermione quickly. "And we're just about to start —"

"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

As Quinn's hand clamped into a fist and her nails dug into her palms in an attempt to calm herself down, Dean Thomas said boldly, "He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had." There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class, which made Quinn smirk, relieved that everyone else loved her dad so much.

Snape, however, looked more menacing than ever. "You are easily satisfied," he sneered. "Lupin is hardly over-taxing you — I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylows. Today we shall discuss —" Quinn watched him flip through the textbook to the very back chapter, her gray eyes widening as she realized exactly what chapter he was looking for. "— werewolves."

"But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself. "We're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start hinkypunks —"

"Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm. "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling all of you to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. " _All_ of you! _Now!_ " With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books. "Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" Snape asked. Everyone sat in motionless silence, except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air. Quinn glared at Snape, feeling hatred fill every fiber of her being, as Snape's twisted smile returned. "Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione as usual. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between —"

"We told you," said Parvati suddenly. "We still haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on —"

" _Silence!_ " snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are…"

Quinn's stomach further twisted with hatred and anxiety as Hermione interrupted, "Please, sir. The werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf —"

"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Hermione went very red, put her hand down, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape that they were all glaring at him because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once. Since Quinn was sitting next to Hermione, she reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand from where she'd dropped it and gave it a reassuring squeeze as Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us a question, and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"

The class knew instantly Ron had gone too far. Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath. Quinn didn't dare move to sit back in her desk properly, afraid of attracting Snape's attention too. "Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach this class again, you will be very sorry indeed." Suddenly, Snape's eyes snapped over to Quinn, and she quickly sank back in her chair, mentally pleading that he would not ask her to speak. She didn't get her wish. "Miss Lupin, surely the teacher's daughter knows the answer to my very simple question," he said, that sick, twisted smile back in place on his face. "Tell me the ways to distinguish a werewolf from a true wolf."

Quinn glared at him, momentarily resisting in silence. However, she didn't want to serve detention with Ron under Snape, so, mouth dry, she answered quietly, "Several ways. The werewolf's snout is shorter; the tail is tufted. Their eyes are more human-like, and, of course, the whole hunting humans thing is a dead giveaway."

Snape grinned as though he'd won something. "And what about in human form? How does one distinguish a proper human from a werewolf?"

"Werewolves _are_ proper humans," Quinn growled bitterly, her tone shocking the rest of the class. It had taken every bit of common sense Quinn had left not to add "you greasy dungeon bat" to the end of her sentence.

Snape's smile disappeared. "Werewolves are magical beasts, Miss Lupin," he said coolly. "They only appear human. How can a wizard spot a werewolf in human form?"

Quinn leaned forward on her elbows, which rested on her desk, chin in her hand. "You can't," Quinn said with a small grin of her own. "They're perfectly normal humans except for the night of the full moon."

"There are ways," Snape snarled. "I'm rather confident you're more than aware of what they are, or did you want to join Weasley in detention?"

Quinn could feel the eyes of the class on her as her smile vanished. "Werewolves age prematurely in their human forms," Quinn admitted begrudgingly. "And they gain a pallor as the moon waxes and wanes."

Snape left her dangling for a moment, then said, "Five points from Gryffindor for arguing with a professor. Your answers are, however, correct."

No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin. "Very poorly explained… That is incorrect, the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia… Professor Lupin gave this an eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it a three…" When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back. "You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention."

Quinn rushed out of the classroom, eyes burning with unshed tears, with Harry and Hermione right behind her. The other two waited until they were out of Snape's earshot, then burst into a furious tirade. "Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job," Harry said to Hermione. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think this is all because of the boggart?"

"I don't know," said Hermione pensively.

Quinn said, her fury at Snape leaking into her voice, "Snape's got it in for my dad because they were students together, and Snape never got over stupid childish issues like popularity. He's just mad everyone likes my dad and hates him, even after all these years."

Quinn wiped her eyes with her sleeve as Harry frowned. "You really think that's it?" Harry asked.

Quinn laughed coldly. "Well, of course, that's it," she drawled. "It's kind of like how he hates you more than his other students because of how much he hated your dad at school, you know? It's stupid, but there it is."

Harry blinked. "Wait, what?"

Hermione said, "What do you mean about Harry's dad?"

Quinn groaned, annoyed over sticking her foot in her mouth again. "Oh dear, you didn't know," Quinn moaned. "Ok, well your dad and my dad were really good friends, and they had a bad habit of picking on Snape, but Snape dished it out just as good as they gave him, so really the whole thing was just stupid. Dad's moved on, ya know, but Snape's still all twisted up inside over it. It's so incredibly stupid."

"Wait," Harry said, shaking his head. "I've had tea with your dad; why didn't he mention that he was such good friends with my dad?"

Quinn shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like he tells me absolutely _everything_."

Hermione frowned and said, "I don't know, but I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon…"

Ron caught up with them then, in a towering rage. "D'you know what that" — (he called Snape something that made Hermione say _"Ron!"_ ) — "Is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. _Without magic!"_ He was breathing deeply, his fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!" Quinn snorted at that, remembering something her dad had told her about Sirius Black and Snape when they were students, and she had absolutely no doubts that Black would not have minded accommodating Ron with that exactly if asked.

* * *

The next morning when Quinn entered the Great Hall for breakfast, decked out in her warmest Gryffindor gear, the Quidditch team was already dressed for the game and sitting together eating, and no one looked particularly excited for the game. Quinn wedged herself between Fred and George, and the twins made room for her out of habit. Fred looked at her questioningly, and she shrugged and helped herself to a piece of toast. Alicia and Angelina started giggling about something Quinn couldn't see at a table behind her, and as the rest of the team turned to look, Fred leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Does this mean we're good?"

Quinn looked up at him, making eye contact for a change. It only lasted a few seconds before it became too intense for Quinn and she looked down to the collar of his shirt, but she was glad she'd done it anyway. "Yes, we're good," Quinn said quietly as George made some snarky comment she missed to Angelina.

Fred grinned and casually tossed an arm around her shoulders. "Good," he said as he started eating his porridge again. "Because I've gotten far too used to you weighing down my arm, and didn't know what to do without having to constantly drag your dead weight around all the time."

Grinning, Quinn smacked his chest playfully before picking her toast back up again. She heard Oliver sigh heavily on the other side of Fred. She glanced at him, surprised he wasn't eating anything. "It's going to be a tough one," he said sadly.

"Stop worrying, Oliver," said Alicia soothingly. "We don't mind a bit of rain." Oliver didn't look any more cheerful than before, though.

* * *

Once at the game, Quinn decided that this could hardly be called a bit of rain. She found herself clinging to her dad's side in the Gryffindor stands at the Quidditch match, Hermione next to her, both girls trying desperately to stay dry under umbrellas. The wind was so strong that the Quidditch teams were staggering sideways as they walked out onto the field. Quinn held onto Remus's arm nervously, watching Fred in particular. It couldn't possibly be safe to play in this thunderstorm, and yet, there they were, mounting their brooms and zipping off into the air even as the thunder rolled. Fred's broom was flying at an odd angle due to the wind, swerving strangely, and Quinn's stomach jerked along with it, terrified he might miss a bludger and fall. Within five minutes, the whole team looked soaked. Hermione worried, "How can Harry even see to fly with his glasses on? Someone's going to get hurt."

Remus sighed as Quinn shivered against the cold, her cloak already starting to get drenched from the rain that had begun to blow sideways. Remus noticed, then tapped the hood of her cloak with his wand. "Impervius."

Quinn's cloak was suddenly dry, repelling the water rather than absorbing it, letting it bead on the cloth, much to Quinn's relief. "Thanks, Dad," she mumbled.

Hermione looked as though she ought to have a light bulb over her head. "Quinn! Come on; I've got a brilliant idea."

Quinn followed Hermione out of the stands down to the ground, where the winds, while still terrible, weren't quite as strong as before. They waited on the sidelines as Hermione waved wildly at the Gryffindor team, trying to get their attention. Finally, Oliver Wood noticed her and called a timeout. With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle. The team splashed down into the mud, with Harry landing last. They huddled under a large umbrella on the edge of the field with Quinn and Hermione. Harry took off his glasses and wiped them hurriedly on his robes. "What's the score?" Harry asked.

"We're fifty points up," said Oliver. "But unless we get the Snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night."

"I've got no chance with these on," Harry said exasperatedly, waving his glasses.

At that very moment, Hermione appeared at his shoulder; she was holding her cloak over her head and was, inexplicably, beaming. "I've had an idea, Harry! Give me your glasses, quick!" He handed them to her, and as the team and Quinn watched in amazement, Hermione tapped them with her wand and said, "Impervius! There!" She handed them back to Harry. "They'll repel water!"

Quinn felt very silly for not realizing that was Hermione's plan all along, and Oliver looked as though he could have kissed her. "Brilliant!" he called hoarsely after her as she disappeared into the crowd again. "Okay, team, let's go for it!"

Quinn grabbed hold of Fred's arm before he walked out from under the umbrella again. "Good luck," Quinn said.

Fred grinned. "Thanks. Easy enough when my lucky charm's in the stand cheering for me," he said with a wink, and Quinn blushed furiously, although she wasn't entirely sure why, before she turned and ran after Hermione.

The spell must have done the trick; Harry was zooming around the skies, easily avoiding the other players and seeming to move with purpose now. There was a bolt of forked lightning, followed immediately by a loud clap of thunder that made Quinn jump. Another flash of lightning illuminated the Quidditch pitch, and the thunder made Quinn spin around to look at the sky. She gasped when she saw the silhouette of an enormous shaggy black dog clearly imprinted against the sky, motionless in the topmost, empty row of seats. She gaped, unable to believe that he was really there. The dog's eyes met hers, then it slipped away, down the stairs and out of the stands, then out of sight. Quinn turned back to the game just as Harry threw himself flat against his broom handle and zoomed toward the Snitch, invisible to Quinn's eyes, but Harry must have been able to see it. Suddenly, the stadium fell deadly silent. Quinn gasped in horror and wrapped her arms around her dad's waist as she saw at least a hundred Dementors in the field below the teams, staring up at the players. One in particular was dangerously close to Fred, but then Harry fell off his broom, the several in the crowd began to scream. Suddenly Harry's fall slowed drastically, and he landed softly in the mud. A silvery phoenix flew into the crowd of dementors and drove them away. Remus put a hand on Quinn's shoulder, leaned down, and said loudly over the howling winds, "You and your friends go straight back to the castle, understand? Spend the rest of the day in the tower."

Unable to say anything, Quinn nodded before grabbing Hermione and Seamus's arms, dragging them out of the stands as the Gryffindors all began to rush from the stands. Quinn started to go straight back to the castle, but then she remembered how close that dementor had been to Fred. She let go of Hermione and Seamus, who watched her in confusion as she turned and ran back to the field. She pushed through the huge crowd of students and teachers, ignoring prefects who told her to go the other way, until she spotted Fred, George, Angelina, and Katie following a short distance behind Oliver as he stormed up to the castle. Quinn raced over to Fred and launched herself at him, hugging his neck as tightly as she could and nearly knocking him over. He caught her with cold, wet arms, and she could feel the slight shiver in his torso as his body reacted to her much warmer form. "Quinn, what are you doing still out here?" Fred asked worriedly as the cold slipped under her cloak and made her shudder. "You should've gone up to the castle instead of coming down here."

"I know," Quinn mumbled, clinging so tightly to him that they couldn't keep walking, allowing the other Gryffindor Quidditch team members to get ahead of the pair. Fred maneuvered her against his side and kept an arm tightly around her, walking fast up to the castle. Quinn regularly slipped in the mud, and Fred had to hold her up so that she didn't fall flat on her face. "You know the other day," Quinn said quietly so that Fred was the only one who could hear her. "When you got so upset because you were scared I was going to get hurt?" Fred nodded. "Well, I think I understand now, because I was very scared for you when I saw how close those dementors came to you."

Fred didn't say anything, and when Quinn looked over at him, she was surprised to find a small smile on his face as they caught of with the rest of his team just outside the hospital wing. Oliver groaned, "I can't believe we lost!"

Angelina said, "Oliver, we're sorry. We did our best."

Katie added, "It's not our fault the dementors came onto school grounds."

Oliver still looked put out, so George said, "Harry tried his hardest to catch the Snitch, and Diggory did try to call for a rematch."

"Yeah, right," Oliver sighed, running a hand over his slick wet hair. "I'm going to go shower." And then he left, still muttering to himself.

Quinn followed the Gryffindor team, Ron, and Hermione into the hospital wing, where Harry was laying in one of the beds. The team was spattered with mud from head to toe, and Ron and Hermione looked like they'd just crawled out of the Black Lake. George said, "Lucky the ground was so soft."

"I thought he was dead for sure," Angelina said grimly.

Quinn opened her mouth to say something snarky to Angelina, whom Quinn had officially decided she did not like at all, but Fred squeezed his arm tighter around her shoulders. She recognized the warning and shut her mouth. Hermione said, "But he didn't even break his glasses." Quinn snorted; Hermione had said what Quinn had been thinking, much to her relief.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life," Alicia said quietly, her arms wrapped around herself.

Suddenly, Harry's green eyes snapped open. "Harry!" Fred said, looking extremely white underneath the mud. "How're you thinking?"

"What happened?" Harry demanded, sitting up so suddenly that they all gasped.

"You fell off," said Fred. "Must've been — what — fifty feet?"

"We thought you'd died," Alicia said, who was still shaking.

Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot, which surprised Quinn given the logical argument she'd made earlier. Quinn supposed that maybe Hermione's emotions must've gotten the best of her even though her brain knew better; based on how terrified she'd been for Fred when he hadn't even fallen, Quinn thought maybe she understood how Hermione felt. "But the match," Harry said. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?" No one said anything, and Quinn could see the sad realization dawning on Harry. "We didn't — _lose?_ "

"Diggory got the Snitch," George said. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square… even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood?" Harry asked, finally noticing the team captain was absent.

"In the showers," Fred said. "We think he's trying to drown himself." Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly. "C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."

"There had to be one time you didn't get it," George said.

"It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin…"

"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw..."

"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff…"

"It all depends on the points — a margin of a hundred either way —"

Harry lay there, not saying a word. After ten minutes or so of this, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace. "We'll come and see you later," Fred told Harry. "Don't beat yourself up, Harry. You're still the best Seeker we've ever had."

Quinn trailed out of the hospital wing with the team, her own cloak and jeans now almost as covered in mud as Fred. As they approached Gryffindor tower, Quinn said softly to Fred, "I'm glad you're ok."

Fred surprised Quinn just outside the portrait hole by turning his face and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm glad you're ok, too," Fred muttered just before helping her through the portrait hole. She hid her red face as best she could, then rushed immediately up to her dorm to take a shower and get rid of the mud.


	5. Chapter 5

**December 1993**

When Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November, Quinn was thrilled, not because she personally cared how Quidditch turned out, but because the Gryffindor team was back in the running for the Quidditch cup, which improved Fred's mood greatly. Fred was constantly hard at work with the rest of the team out on the Quidditch pitch in the chilly haze of rain that lasted well into December, so Quinn was regularly left alone in the library to study. Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky finally lightened and revealed a glittering frost on the muddy grounds. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts.

Fred and George fought for a week over whether to stay or head home for the holiday, so they were taking it out on each other on the Quidditch pitch. Quinn was watching their last practice before the break as the twins batted bludgers back and forth at each other. When George nearly unseated Fred from his broom, Quinn couldn't bear to watch anymore and left. As she walked up to the castle, she froze in her tracks as a large black dog ran up to her with a loud bark. The dog walked right up to her and shoved its nose into her still hand, begging to be pet. The cold wet nose brought Quinn back to earth, and she exclaimed, "What in the world are you doing here? How did you —" The dog took off on her, and Quinn chased after him. She skidded to stop and nearly fell in the muddy ice as they got too close to the Whomping Willow. "Black," she hissed. "The tree…"

But then he touched a knot on the tree with his paw, turned back to her, barked a few times, and then disappeared under the tree. Quinn slowly approached the tree until she spotted a hole hidden among the roots of the tree. She slid down it, landing on her rear with a hard thud in a dark, damp tunnel. She groaned, then a wet dog nose was in her face, sniffing her as if he was checking to see if she was ok. She stood and followed him down the narrow passage, which led out into a living room. It was a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though someone had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up, barely allowing for any sunlight to leak through. "Quinn," a voice behind her croaked, and she spun around to face Sirius Black, now in his human form. "Remus really should keep a better eye on you. You're far too easy to get alone."

"What do you want?" Quinn asked, glaring at him. This time his stolen clothes were far too big and considerably more ragged.

Sirius watched her curiously as she avoided his eyes. "Do — do you remember me from back then? At all?"

Shifting nervously under his gaze, she said quietly, "No." Sirius nodded sadly, so Quinn added, "But I remember noticing you were gone. I think it must've been a while after you were gone, but I used to beg Dad for a dog because I missed having one. Then he finally got me one, and I tried to name it Padfoot, and Dad started to…" Quinn paused and shook her head. "The dog's name became Basil instead." A slight smile appeared on Sirius's face. "You completely destroyed the Fat Lady," Quinn said, temper suddenly flaring. "You asked me for help, and then that very night you completely destroyed her canvas."

Sirius sighed. "She wasn't letting me in; I got a little too angry and overreacted."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Quinn snapped, forgetting to take care to watch herself in front of a convicted mass murderer. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was? What if my dad or Professor Dumbledore had found out you talked to me? I could've been expelled; my wand could have been taken away! What if they'd sent me to Azkaban for helping you? What if —"

Quinn squeaked in surprise as suddenly Sirius wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him in a tight hug. His hands were on her head and in her hair, crushing her face to his chest. He breathed deeply, then said, his voice a bit deeper than before, "Quinn, I would have never let that happen to you. I'd protect you and Harry with my life." Quinn frowned into Sirius's shirt and started to question him, but he continued. "That rat in Harry's dormitory is definitely Peter Pettigrew." He let her go, and she stumbled back a few steps as her anxiety levels rose. "You believe that, don't you?"

Quinn shook her head. "Maybe? I don't know," she answered truthfully. "Fred says I shouldn't believe you."

Sirius paled, which was difficult to believe considering how pale he already was. "You told someone about our conversation?" Quinn nodded. "Did you tell him I was an animagus?" She shook her head, and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "You cannot tell anyone about any of this, understand? I need to break into Gryffindor and get that bloody rat."

"I can't help you," Quinn mumbled. "I don't know anything to help you."

"You know the password," Sirius insisted, his voice hoarse from disuse as he raised his volume. "I need the password to get in."

"The password changes several times a day, even I'm constantly locked out," Quinn muttered. "I couldn't possibly tell you what the password will be at the exact time that you try to break in, and frankly, I'm not sure I would even if I could."

Letting out a growl of frustration, Sirius yelled, "Don't you understand, Quinn? I _need_ to break in and get that bloody rat."

"Why?" Quinn asked, blinking back the sting of tears that she couldn't help feeling every time someone yelled at her. "Why break in yourself? Why are you trying to do this the hard way? Give me the information that could prove your innocence and let me take it to my dad or Dumbledore. They can test Ron's rat and see if you're telling the truth, and if it really is Pettigrew then we can…"

"No!" Sirius shouted. "We do this my way!"

Quinn fought the urge to run away and shouted back, "Why? Why not just prove the truth the easy way? Unless you don't care about proving your innocence at all and are just after revenge?"

"Peter Pettigrew deserves to die," Sirius growled. "And a tiny little girl, even if you are _my_ tiny little girl, will not get in my way."

Quinn winced at his tone. "I have to go," she mumbled. "I can't help you. I don't even know whether or not I believe you."

Quinn tried to go down the stairs into the passage to leave, but Sirius grabbed her arm. "Quinn, wait," Sirius said tiredly. "I'm sorry; it's just that there's a real mass murderer living in your house, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Then stop pulling me into whatever the hell this is," Quinn snarled. "Before the dementors decide I might make a tasty little snack."

"Quinn."

"What?" she said exasperatedly.

"Merry Christmas," Sirius said quietly, his gray eyes sad.

Quinn hesitated, then replied, "Merry Christmas." She turned and ran as fast as she could down the secret tunnel, and when she finally climbed out the other end, she hadn't even gotten away from the tree when Fred came running up, an old piece of blank parchment in his hand. "Fred?"

"Quinn! Get away from there, before you get yourself killed by that bloody tree!" Fred shouted. She ran to him, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her along toward the castle until he was satisfied she was a safe distance away from the tree. She was sniffling, trying her best not to cry when he finally stopped and looked at her. She looked away from him, down at her feet, surprised to find that the bottom half of her jeans were spattered with dirt, dust, and mud. She started to wipe her eyes with the sleeve of her blue peacoat, only to find that the sleeve was also covered in dust. Fred looked her over, eyes widening, as he asked, "What on earth have you been doing?"

Quinn sniffed as she felt a tear escape and roll down her cheek. Fred reached up and wiped it away with his thumb as she mumbled, "I don't know."

"You don't know what you've been doing?" Fred said suspiciously, eyebrow raised. "And whatever it is that you don't know that you've been doing has you in tears? Now, why don't I believe that?"

Quinn choked down a sob, and Fred let go of her arm and opened his for her. Easily snuggling into his chest, she tried not to cry even as he was clearly giving her permission to do exactly that. Quinn mumbled into his chest, "I ran into Pansy Parkinson and her friends, and in my escape from them, I had a run-in with the Whomping Willow. It was nothing. Honestly, I'm fine."

Fred frowned down at her. "It doesn't seem like you're fine. I mean, look at you. You don't exactly cry over nothing."

Quinn huffed in annoyance as she pulled away from Fred, intentionally shifting the bulk of her weight to one leg. "Ok, so I fell by the Whomping Willow," she lied again. "My ankle hurts. I'm annoyed with prissy little Pansy, and I'm short on sleep because I stayed up all night reading again. Can we please just go on up to the common room now?"

Fred scrutinized Quinn's face for a moment, and she struggled not to squirm and shift her weight to her "injured" ankle as he stared her down. She had never outright lied to Fred before, not like this, and she was absolutely horrified that she was doing it now. However, she knew that if Fred found out about Black being on Hogwarts grounds and their conversation, he would turn Black over to the Ministry in a heartbeat to protect her. As upset and confused as she was, Quinn wasn't ready to let that happen. Finally, Fred said, "Ok. Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital wing? Maybe Madame Pomfrey should take a look at your ankle, make sure it isn't sprained or anything."

Quinn shook her head. "No. I'll be fine, I just want to go inside and warm up in the common room, ok?"

Fred sighed. "All right; let's go then."

* * *

Just before Hogwarts emptied for the Christmas holidays, Quinn spent the next Hogsmeade weekend exploring the village with Fred again. This visit, the entire time they roamed the High Street of Hogsmeade, Fred never let go of her hand, holding it so tightly that her hand hurt by the end of the day. She tried to convince him to ease his grip, but he refused, saying he couldn't run the risk of Black somehow getting her alone again. Quinn grimaced at the suggestion, her guilty conscience plaguing her to tell him the truth — that Black had already done exactly that, but she stayed silent and allowed Fred to lead her around his favorite shops the entire day. After a quick Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, the pair returned to the Gryffindor common room. Fred was in bright spirits, but Quinn's mind still lingered sadly on Sirius Black, spending Christmas cold and alone in the dilapidated Shrieking Shack, believed by the world, his best friend included, to be a mass murderer and a Death Eater. The two had barely made it into the common room when Harry Potter charged up to them, shouting, "You! You knew, didn't you? You knew about Black and my parents, didn't you?"

Quinn recoiled from Harry, and Fred automatically took a protective half-step between the two third years. Quinn stuttered, "Kn-Knew about what now?"

"Black and my parents!" Harry exclaimed. "You knew they were best friends. You knew he was my godfather and that he betrayed them to Voldemort, didn't you?"

Quinn flinched at the accusation, her gaze bouncing around the room from one inanimate object to the next as she desperately tried to avoid looking Harry or the rest of the Gryffindors, who were all staring at them, in the face. She stammered, "I-I-I —"

Fred put a hand on Harry's shoulder, which the dark-haired boy shrugged off irritably. "Come on, mate," Fred said quietly. "Let's just calm down a minute here, all right?"

Harry growled, "No! Black, how could you not tell me about my parents? And if Black was close enough to Lupin to help him adopt you _and_ he was best friends with my parents, then Lupin was close to my parents too, wasn't he? Why didn't one of you tell me all this?"

Quinn mumbled, her gaze on the fireplace behind Harry's head, "Harry, I didn't —"

"Harry, cut her some slack," Fred said, his voice low. "Maybe she didn't know anything about it."

"You're my godfather's daughter," Harry said angrily. "Doesn't that make us some kind of brother and sister? You should've told me that he was the reason my parents are dead!"

Quinn hid more behind Fred's back, holding onto the back of his shirt and barely peeking over his shoulder at the Boy Who Lived. "Harry, I didn't know all the details. Black was never really a part of my life, and Dad doesn't talk about him ever. I had no idea he was your godfather."

Harry laughed coldly. "Sure, you didn't know."

"Hey, come on now," George said, walking up behind Harry. "You know how Quinn is; it's like the girl doesn't even know the meaning of the word dishonesty. She wouldn't lie to anyone, especially not about something as serious as this."

Quinn paled at George's representation of her character. Her stomach churned as Harry snapped, "How can you be so sure of that? She's Sirius Black's kid. He was the biggest liar of them all; I wouldn't be surprised if she had inherited the skill."

Fred snapped back, "All right, that's enough. You seem to be forgetting that Sirius Black only adopted Quinn; they aren't actually related, so she can't have inherited anything from him. You're also forgetting that Quinn is an incredibly sweet, gentle girl who has never been anything but nice to you, Harry Potter. And if she is your godsister, then she deserves to be treated a bloody lot better than how you're treating her now."

Ron and Hermione had also joined the group by then, and Ron dropped a hand on Harry's shoulder and said quietly, "Come on, mate. Let's go up to bed, ok? There's nothing more for you to learn here."

Harry took a deep breath, then huffed, "Fine." He stomped away and up the boys' stairs, leaving Quinn trembling behind Fred, surrounded by George, Hermione, and now Ginny.

Fred turned to Quinn and tried to pull her into a hug, but Quinn stepped back from him, too unnerved to be comfortable with Fred's usual methods of calming her. "Hey, it's ok," Fred said soothingly. "Harry will calm down."

Quinn shook her head, her blonde hair flying around her face. Too overwhelmed to stay, she turned around and fled the common room, running back out of Gryffindor tower and out onto the grounds. She was fairly certain Fred was following her, but she just hoped she had gotten enough of a head start so that she could outrun him. She raced across the grounds as twilight advanced, fairly certain she'd lost Fred in some obscure corridor on the second floor of the castle, until she approached the Whomping Willow. Pausing just long enough to spot the knot she'd seen Sirius Black touch to make the tree stop attacking, Quinn took a deep breath then raced against the tree towards its trunk. A large branch slapped the ground just a meter in front of her, twigs snapping against her face, scratching her. She shrieked and stepped back, jumping around the branch and darting forward again as another hurtled toward her. Suddenly, the tree stilled. Quinn froze, uncertain, until she looked up and saw a large, shaggy black dog by the trunk of the tree growling low in its throat at her. Quinn wiped dirt and blood from her face where the scratches stung her skin, sniffing as she approached the dog anyway. The dog watched her for a moment, then his growl changed to a soft whine. Without saying a word, Quinn dropped into the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. The dog followed quickly behind her, and the pair walked up the passage until they reached the sitting room of the Shrieking Shack, Quinn silent, the dog whining and shoving his nose against her hand repeatedly. Once inside the shack, the dog transformed into Sirius Black, who instantly demanded, his voice rough, "Quinn Phoenix Lupin-Black, what the bloody hell do you think you're doing? Why aren't you up in Gryffindor tower where you belong?"

Quinn sniffed and dropped onto a broken, lopsided sofa, wiping tears from her face as the droplets of salt water ran down her cheeks and stung the scratches there that still oozed blood. "I'm sorry," Quinn choked out. "I shouldn't have come. I don't know what I was thinking. I —"

Frowning, Sirius dropped to one knee in front of her, still in the same stolen clothes as he wore when she'd last seen him, though they were considerably dirtier than before. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice so gentle it shocked Quinn into stopping crying.

Quinn sniffled as Sirius prodded the cuts on her face tenderly with his fingers, inspecting the damage. "Harry found out that you're his godfather today apparently," she said quietly. "He was so angry. He was yelling at me, and they were arguing, and I just had to get out of there."

"Who were arguing?" Sirius asked, his grey eyes focused intently on Quinn.

"Harry, Fred, George, Ron… I don't know," Quinn prattled. "Harry was angry I'd never told him that, but I didn't really even know for sure what I knew about you, and he kept talking about how you were my dad and a liar, and how I was probably a liar too, and how it's your fault his parents are dead and I just… I ran."

Sirius nodded sadly. After a moment, he held out his open hand, palm up. "May I please see your wand?" Sirius asked quietly. Quinn froze, and when she didn't move, he added, "I need it to heal your injuries from the Whomping Willow, dear. Trust me; I'll never hurt you." Quinn hesitated, then slowly pulled her hazel and unicorn hair wand from her pocket and surrendered it to Sirius Black. He gave her a small smile as he gripped her wand. With a silent spell and a wave of Quinn's wand, Sirius healed all the little cuts scattered across Quinn's face. "Your wand is similar to my old one," he commented, turning the handle around to face her and offering the wand back to Quinn.

Quinn accepted it, surprised at both his words and the return of her wand. After a moment's hesitation, she said softly, "I believe you when you say it was Pettigrew. I think you're innocent."

Sirius's eyes sparked, becoming more lively and emotive than Quinn had ever seen them. "You do?" Quinn nodded. Sirius added, "I didn't murder those Muggles either. Peter Pettigrew did that too in order to fake his own death and frame me."

"Ok," Quinn mumbled, too exhausted from the shouting match in the common room and the fight with the Whomping Willow to be emotional or question him.

Surprised by the lack of argument from Quinn, Sirius said nothing for a few minutes, content to sit there with her and gently stroke her long blonde hair. Quinn leaned into the touch that felt like an echo of a memory she had long forgotten, closing her eyes against the threat of more tears as Sirius said, "Harry will come around. Right now, you're the closest thing he has to a family. He'll come around, and I bet he'll love you like a sister when he really gets to know you."

Quinn shrugged, opening her eyes and meeting Sirius's gaze with her own grey eyes. After another minute's silence, Quinn asked, "Are you always here?"

Sirius frowned. "No, not always," Sirius whispered. "But I'll always be here when you need me to be. It might take a little time for me to show up, but I've been checking in on you, wandering the grounds of Hogwarts, just in case you wanted me." Quinn nodded. Another moment of silence followed, then Sirius pressed, "Do you —"

"I'd like it if you stayed," Quinn admitted. "I — I can talk to my dad instead, but… I've been seeing you and… I can't face him," she said, tears building in her eyes and making her throat tight. "I don't like lying to him."

Sighing, Sirius said, "I'm sorry, little pup. I never wanted to put you in a position like this where you're having to lie to Moony. Maybe you shouldn't come around here anymore…"

"No!" Quinn exclaimed, suddenly animated, startling Sirius. "I — I like seeing you, and I can't bear the idea of you stuck out in the freezing cold all alone…" She shook her head. "I want to help you prove your innocence. Besides, I —" She hesitated, then continued, "I want you to teach me to be an animagus like you."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at her. "That's very complex and dangerous. Are you sure —"

"You started learning how to become an animagus at my age, didn't you? That's what Dad said once talking about James Potter," Quinn said. "If you could do it at my age, then I can too. Besides, I'm not planning on using it to go spend full moons with a transformed, out-of-control werewolf. I just want to know how to do it."

Sirius hesitated. "I don't know, pup…"

"Please?" Quinn begged. "Consider it something to make up for all the years of Christmas presents you missed."

Raising an eyebrow at that, Sirius said, "Oh, really?" Quinn nodded, and Sirius laughed a hoarse barking laugh. "All right, all right," Sirius conceded, making Quinn smile a little. "I'll teach you how to be an animagus, but not tonight, ok? From now on, you're to only come here during daylight hours, understand? I don't want you running into a dementor or some other unsavory creature and getting hurt." Quinn nodded excitedly. "Good. Now, just come back here when you have the chance to slip away. In the meantime, there's a book in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library called _Animagi Transformations_. Read that before you try anything, ok?"

Quinn nodded. "Ok, I'll do it."

"Good," Sirius said. "And don't come back to me without a mandrake leaf, understand?" Quinn nodded again, and Sirius stood. "Ok, then I think you'd better go back up to the castle, and be careful going up to Gryffindor. I don't want you getting caught by any teachers and getting into trouble, all right?"

Quinn's face fell at the mention of returning to her house. "Sirius, I —"

"I know you don't want to face Harry and your friends again, but you've got to go back," Sirius insisted. "You've said it yourself; it's freezing cold in this place. It's not safe for you to be out here. You have to go back to your dorm. I'm putting my foot down on this."

Standing to leave, Quinn said, "I don't know how yet, but I'm going to help you get Peter Pettigrew and prove to the world that you're innocent, ok?"

Sirius smiled and put a hand on the back of her head, pulling her to his chest in a one-armed hug and kissing the top of her head. "Thank you, pup," Sirius said. "But don't let Pettigrew know you're on to him. I don't want you getting hurt. The man's a coward but dangerous when threatened."

Quinn nodded, saying, "Ok, I won't."

"Good. Now, I'm going to walk you back up to the castle doors, but you're on your own from there getting to Gryffindor, all right?" Quinn nodded, and the two dropped back into the tunnel to the Whomping Willow. After a lengthy period of silence walking back up the tunnel, Quinn took hold of Sirius's arm, holding on to him tightly. He glanced down at her in surprise but said nothing. When the pair reached the end of the tunnel, Sirius whispered, "I'm going to transform now. I'm glad you came to see me, little pup." He leaned down and kissed her forehead again. "I'll see you again soon, ok?" Quinn nodded, and then Sirius Black disappeared, and in his place was a large black dog with a wagging tail and a lopsided grin.

Quinn smiled at the dog, then the dog disappeared above her out of the tunnel. She heard the Whomping Willow groan, then there was a deep bark above her. Quinn climbed out of the tunnel, and together with Sirius, she walked back up to the castle in the dark night. When she reached the front steps, however, she was shocked to find that Fred was there, sitting on the steps waiting for her. She looked to where Sirius was beside her and was shocked to find the space empty. After a beat, she realized that Sirius must've noticed Fred before she did and disappeared into the dark night. Fred stood and rushed over to her. "What the bloody hell, Quinn?" Fred snapped. "What were you thinking running out like that? I saw you run out the front door of the castle, and by the time I managed to follow, you'd just disappeared! I've been waiting here for at least an hour! Where have you bloody been, Quinn Lupin?"

Quinn flinched at Fred's angry tone. "I'm sorry," she whispered, struggling to lie to him. "I just went for a walk around the lake, and then it got dark. I got scared when I realized how late it was, and I got all turned around and lost and confused until I finally wandered onto a familiar path. I'm really sorry…"

After a few moments of tense silence, Fred sighed. "Ok," he said quietly. "Come here."

Quinn's stomach twisted, but she stepped forward anyway, falling into Fred's familiar and comforting arms. With his help, the two managed to slip inside and back up to the Gryffindor common room without being caught by any of the professors. As they slipped into the crowded common room, Fred asked her quietly, "Are you sure you're all right?"

Quinn nodded. "I'm ok," she insisted. Fred nodded, and let the subject drop. As he walked her to the girls' stairs, Quinn asked, "Hey, can you get me a book to study from the Restricted Section for me?"

Fred's eyes sparked with mischief. "What sort of book?" he asked curiously.

Quinn smiled at him, enjoying how happy he seemed at the idea of creating chaos in order to steal a book from the library for her, as only N.E.W.T. students were allowed to enter the Restricted Section without special permission from a professor. "It's called _Animagi Transformations_ , and I need it as soon as possible, ok?"

Fred grinned. "You thinking of becoming an animagus?"

Shaking her head, Quinn lied, "Not exactly. I just want to read all about it. You know, research it before deciding if I want to try to do it."

Fred chuckled. "All right," he conceded. "I'll get it for you tomorrow; don't you worry."

Quinn grinned as she stepped up one step on the stairs, putting her at almost the same height as the Weasley twin. In a moment of bold madness, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Thanks," she said cheerily, and a second later she bolted up the stairs to bed, leaving Fred stunned at the bottom of the stairs staring after her.

* * *

By the time Christmas morning came around, Harry seemed to have come to terms with his newfound relationship to Quinn. She came down to the common room that morning carrying the animagus book Fred had stolen for her just before leaving for home for the holiday and found Ron, Harry, and Hermione waiting for her to open presents. She opened her presents to discover a handmade jumper in a brilliant violet color from Mrs. Weasley, a box of all her favorite candies and a book on Manticores from George, a book on centaurs from Harry, two copies of the same book on bowtruckles from Hermione and Ron (a complete accident, Ron kept insisting when Hermione accused him of stealing her idea), and a N.E.W.T. level book on transfiguration from Fred. At last, all that remained under the Christmas tree were two long thin packages wrapped in plain brown paper and a large square box, also wrapped in brown paper. When the packages were pulled out from under the tree, the third years found one of the thin packages was addressed to Harry and the other two to Quinn, but there was no mention of who gave the gifts. "You unwrap yours first," Quinn said quietly.

Harry shook his head. "You first," Harry insisted.

Quinn laughed. "Fine, same time then."

Harry nodded, and they both ripped the brown paper open to reveal shiny ebony broom handles. Tearing the broom free of the paper, Quinn was shocked to find she and Harry were holding matching Firebolts. The hazel twigs in the broom tail practically shined with newness. "Wicked!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yes, but who are they from?" Hermione asked.

"Don't know," Harry answered. "It doesn't say."

"Well, you two shouldn't ride those until we find out," Hermione said firmly. "Maybe Sirius Black sent them to you. They could be jinxed."

"I doubt he'd send us both jinxed brooms," Quinn said with a snort. "What kind of murder strategy would that be anyway? And why would he send me one too if that were the case? He's got no reason to try to kill me."

"They're not from Black," Harry said. "Maybe they're from Dumbledore again, like first year. He didn't sign his name to that either. Or Professor McGonagall; she gave me my first broom."

Hermione shook her head, but before she could say more, Crookshanks hissed and pounced on Scabbers, who had just appeared from Ron's bag. Ron and Hermione pulled their pets apart, and the same old shouting match began again. Quinn tried to get hold of Scabbers before Ron did, but to no avail. Interrupting Ron yelling at Hermione, Quinn suggested, "Hey, Ron, maybe Scabbers should come stay with me for a while? I can make sure Crookshanks doesn't find him."

Ron shook his head. "No way. I'm taking Scabbers up to my room."

As Ron left, Quinn exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, then opened the other box. Inside the large package was a record player, along with more than twenty records ranging from Alice Cooper to the Sex Pistols to the Beatles. It was an entirely different range of music than she had ever listened to at home with her dad, the only overlap being the Beatles. Quinn's eyes widened in surprise. Harry asked, "Who's that from, Quinn?"

Quinn hesitated, as she suspected that Hermione was completely right about the presents to herself and Harry being from Sirius Black. After a moment, she said, "This one is from my dad." Her throat tightened around the lie, but she forced it out anyway. Harry accepted the answer without question, and when Ron returned from the dormitory, the group of Gryffindors headed down to the Great Hall for lunch. When McGonagall arrived with Hermione after lunch to take away Harry and Quinn's new brooms to be stripped and tested for curses and jinxes, Quinn wasn't the least bit surprised. She'd known Hermione would do something like that and didn't blame her for it. However, Harry and Ron were furious with Hermione, and while the boys spent the rest of the break ignoring Hermione, Quinn spent as much time as she could with her roommate, listening to her new records from Sirius and reading the many books she'd received over the break, and that seemed to be of some comfort to Hermione.


	6. Chapter 6

**January 1994**

Quinn lounged on a couch in the Gryffindor common room, studying the book on transfiguration Fred had given her for Christmas while sucking on the mandrake leaf Sirius had ordered her to put in her mouth at the last full moon and not to remove until the next full moon. She'd complied, even when the taste of the mandrake leaf had made her sick to her stomach for the first week and Fred had almost made her go to the hospital wing. However, after a couple of weeks, she was finally starting to become accustomed to the flavor. As Quinn was focused on the section of her book that covered animagus transformations, Neville was sitting next to her on the couch pouring over potions notes he'd borrowed from Hermione to supplement his own. Sighing, Neville suddenly dropped his book and notes loudly on the coffee table, making Quinn jump and look up at him sharply. "Forget it; it's hopeless," he groaned.

Annoyed by the interruption to her reading, Quinn huffed, "What's hopeless?"

"Potions," Neville answered tiredly. "I really do try my best; I've even tried brewing a few simple potions outside of class, and those turn out all right. Even when I understand the material perfectly, though, I get in that dungeon with Snape, and I can't brew a potion worth anything."

"Well," Quinn said dryly. "Maybe you should write down all your mistakes in class and publish them as a book of poisons. You'd be rich."

Neville snorted. "Not particularly helpful, but thanks anyway," he snickered. Standing, he continued, "I'm going to bed. Will you give these notes back to Hermione for me?" Quinn nodded as Neville stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Thanks. Night."

"G'night," Quinn said softly as Neville passed her and headed up the boys' stairs. Deciding to go to bed as well, Quinn was gathering Hermione's notes when she noticed a piece of parchment covered in a scrawl that was most definitely not Hermione's neat script. Examining the parchment more closely, she realized that Neville had gathered a list of all of Sir Cadogan's passwords to the Gryffindor common room for that week. For a moment, she faltered as she considered her options, but once she spotted Crookshanks sleeping in a corner of the otherwise empty common room, her decision was made. Quinn walked over to where the large orange cat lay and knelt in front of him. She whispered to the cat, "I have no idea if you know what I'm saying, but I'm going to tie this to your collar. I need you to take it to Padfoot." With that little speech to the cat, she tied the list of passwords to Crookshanks's collar. When she was done, the large cat yawned, stood, stretched, crossed the room to the common room door, and sat down by it, staring at Quinn expectantly. Quinn followed Crookshanks and opened the common room door for him, and the cat promptly slipped out into the corridor and disappeared. Quinn sighed, unsure if the cat was just exploring or doing as she asked, gathered her things, and went to bed.

* * *

The next weekend, Quinn was following her father as he rushed onto the Quidditch pitch at the end of the match to check on Harry Potter. Several Slytherins, including Draco Malfoy, had wandered on to the pitch dressed as dementors in an attempt to sabotage Gryffindor's chances of winning the match against Ravenclaw, but Harry had confidently whipped out his wand and bowled the Slytherins over with a massive patronus in a shape that had briefly looked to Quinn like a large stag, then snatched the snitch from the air, winning the match. As Remus ran to where Harry was just landing, Quinn turned and raced over to where Fred Weasley had landed instead. The twins were both doubled over with laughter as they watched Malfoy struggle to untangle himself from Goyle and the robe they had shared to appear stopped just in front of Fred, and he immediately dropped an arm around her shoulders, shaking with laughter. Quinn grinned at him as he turned his attention from Malfoy and Goyle to her. "Congrats on the win," Quinn said cheerfully.

Chuckling, Fred leaned down and roughly kissed Quinn on the cheek. As Quinn's face turned cherry red, Fred said, "Thanks, darling. I can't believe those bloody Slytherins, but they got what they deserved. Harry's reaction — bloody brilliant!"

Quinn giggled nervously, feeling the static of electricity in the air around her. "Yeah, my dad taught him that charm. They've been doing some private lessons. I guess they paid off."

"I guess so," Fred said as his laughter finally died down. Quinn noticed George giving her and Fred a funny look she couldn't interpret as Fred tucked a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. Then Fred turned them away from the pitch and steered her toward the Gryffindor locker room. "We're going to throw a party in the common room tonight to celebrate our victory, you know."

Quinn smiled as they reached the locker room door. "That sounds like fun," she said, a bit flummoxed. Something in Fred's manner toward her was different, though she couldn't identify exactly what had changed. Whatever the change was, it made Quinn nervous to be so close to Fred, something she wasn't sure she'd ever experienced.

Fred turned to her with a wide grin. "You'll be there, right?"

"Of course," Quinn replied dryly. "I live there."

"Good," Fred smirked, ignoring Quinn's sarcastic quip.

After a moment's pause, Quinn asked, "Fred? What did you mean a few months ago when you said that we were different than George and Katie?"

Fred's grin faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered. "Well, we're just different. You're different. Normal social rules have never really applied to us, have they?"

Quinn bit her lip in thought as Fred took her hands in his, intertwining their fingers and pulling her closer to him until her chest bumped into his. "I suppose not," she said as he grinned down at her.

"Exactly," Fred said, his brown eyes twinkling with mischief. "And I like that we're so different from the others. I like you."

Quinn froze, her grey eyes locked on his, unsure how to interpret Fred's words. Before she could ask for clarification, George pulled Quinn away from Fred gently as Oliver exclaimed, "Come on; into the locker room, Weasley, so we can go celebrate!" A moment later, the Quidditch players had disappeared into the locker room, leaving Quinn outside alone and confused.

* * *

That night, Quinn sat in a mostly deserted corner of the common room reading one of her copies of her book on bowtruckles (the one from Hermione, she believed, though it was difficult to be sure), as the Quidditch team and other Gryffindors gathered around the fireplace in the center of the common room. Loud music played through the room on someone's wireless, and the cheering of her fellow Gryffindors and shouts of excitement left Quinn feeling a tad irritable. In fact, she only remained in the common room rather than retreating to her room as usual because Fred had seemed to really want her to be at this particular party. As midnight approached, Fred finally made his over to Quinn with two bottles of butterbeer. "Here," he said, offering her one of the drinks. "You looked thirsty."

Quinn raised an eyebrow at him as she accepted the open butterbeer bottle from him. "And how exactly does one look thirsty? What facial expression is thirst?" Quinn teased.

Fred rolled his eyes at her joke. "Just take the butterbeer, Lupin," he said with an exaggerated tone of impatience. Sitting on the arm of her chair, Fred asked, "Are you having fun in your little corner with your book?"

Sighing and closing her book, using her fingers as a bookmark, Quinn said honestly, "Well, it's a little loud for my taste, but it's not terrible."

Fred nodded as he started tapping his fingers on Quinn's shoulder — his usual nervous tick. Quinn watched him in silence for a moment, then asked, "What's got you all worked up?"

Fred chuckled. "What, me? I'm not worked up."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn said, "Well, whatever you want to call it. You only ever tap your fingers like this when you're nervous about something."

"I'm never nervous," Fred scoffed.

"And you're full of it," Quinn said, mimicking Fred's tone of false bravado. "What's the matter with you, Weasley?"

Fred shook his head. "I don't know," Fred chuckled. Quinn tilted her head, watching him expectantly as he watched the party. "I think George might ask out Katie soon."

Confused by the relevance of the subject, Quinn simply said, "Ok," and waited for Fred to continue.

After a few minutes of silence, Fred offered Quinn his hand. "Dance with me?" he asked.

Quinn swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She took a large swallow of her butterbeer, then she nodded her head and accepted his hand. He pulled her over to where a few other Gryffindors were dancing to the music, holding hands with their partners and jumping around, being silly and having fun. Fred took both her hands and pulled her close to him. It was no closer than usual, but the proximity made Quinn as nervous as she had suspected Fred of being earlier. Hungry Like the Wolf blasted in the common room, and Quinn swayed nervously as she struggled to decipher exactly how she was expected to move. Fred didn't seem to mind her awkwardness, though, and he placed his hand on her lower back to hold her close and help steady her movements. Unable to stop herself from blushing, Quinn finally asked, "Fred, earlier you said —"

Her question was interrupted, however, by Hermione and Ron's sudden screaming match. It appeared that the two were still fighting over Crookshanks' attack on the now missing Scabbers the night before, and Hermione left the common room in tears. As the song ended, Fred asked, "What were you saying?"

Quinn shook her head. "I don't remember," she said. "Hey, can we just go sit on the sofa and read?"

Fred shrugged, seemingly unperturbed by the change. "Sure." The two maneuvered over to the only couch left with room for them and sat next to a seventh year couple who were in the middle of an intense snog. Quinn sat in Fred's lap with her book on bowtruckles, and Fred read over her shoulder, occasionally making snide remarks or intelligent comments on the information the book offered. By one in the morning, the party had died off, with McGonagall's orders for everyone to go to bed. However, at that point Quinn had already fallen asleep with her head on Fred's shoulder, so he stayed, continuing to read her book as he shifted into a more comfortable position and eventually falling asleep himself.

* * *

Quinn awoke a couple hours later to the sound of terrified screams coming from the boys' dorm. She flipped over, accidentally kneeing Fred in the stomach, waking him up as well. Fred groaned in pain, and as her eyes landed on the boys' stairs, Quinn saw Sirius Black, fully human, racing down the stairs to the common room, a large knife in his hand. Quinn gasped, "Sirius!"

Her voice caused the escaped convict to pause, and their grey eyes briefly met. Before Quinn could have a chance to wrap her head around what was happening, they heard the sound of someone running down the boys' stairs, and Sirius bolted out the door to the common room. Instantly, Quinn jumped up to follow him as Harry stomped down the stairs, but Fred grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop. "Quinn, don't," Fred said firmly. "Black's too dangerous."

Quinn yanked her hand free, ignoring Fred as Harry accused, "Quinn, did you let him in here?"

Fred scoffed, "Don't be thick; of course she didn't."

Racing over to the common room door, Quinn threw the door open and stepped out into the corridor. She looked around, but the hall was already empty. There was no telling which path down from the tower Sirius would take, even if she did know what escape route he would ultimately utilize to get off the school grounds and to safety. Fred followed her out, gently taking hold of her upper arm. "I don't understand," Quinn whispered, not realizing at first that she had said the words out loud.

Fred tugged her back inside the common room, closed the door, then hugged her close, whispering in her ear, "He's a murderer, sweetheart. Maybe now that you've seen him like this, you can believe it, eh?"

Quinn shook her head, pulling away from him. Her head swam in confusion as she returned to the couch and sat down. Harry watched the pair, fuming. "He slashed the curtains on Ron's bed," Harry said bitterly. "I woke up when Ron screamed, and there was Black, standing over Ron with a knife." Other Gryffindors were beginning to emerge from their dorms as well, now, listening to what Harry was saying. "I tried to stop him, and he ran like a coward. I suppose he's probably going to escape now, just like last time he broke in. I wonder though, how did Black get in? Or should I say who let him in?"

Fred glared at Harry. "Watch it, Potter. Don't start accusing Quinn of plotting with Black. She's been with me all night; she can't have let Black into the castle."

Percy appeared out of his dorm then, ordering everyone back to bed, though he was, naturally, ignored as word of Sirius Black's attack on Ron spread through the common room. Before long, McGonagall arrived along with Remus Lupin. Remus pulled Quinn aside, speaking to her alone as McGonagall asked Harry and Ron to describe the attack. Quinn, in as quiet and short a manner as she could manage, described what she'd seen. Of course, she'd expected Sirius to break in, but she hadn't expected him to be armed or violent, so the sight of him with the knife in his hand had shaken her to her core. She was starting to doubt her own conviction that he was truly innocent when Remus gently shook her shoulders, bringing her out of her reverie. "Quinn," Remus said, his voice so low only the two of them could hear. "Did you in any way, shape, or form help Sirius Black break into Gryffindor tonight?"

Unshed tears stung Quinn's eyes as she stared at Remus's green ones, and she dropped her eyes down to the knee-high combat boots she still wore from the Quidditch match the day before. They were her usual choice of shoes when she wasn't in her school uniform, and they were still slightly splattered with dried mud from when she had worn them on her last visit to the Shrieking Shack to see Sirius. Everything in her screamed that she should tell Remus the truth about her recent relationship with Sirius Black, but out of some misplaced loyalty, Quinn shook her head. "No, I didn't," Quinn whispered.

Remus breathed a sigh of relief, then let her go back to where Fred was standing watching the father and daughter. Quinn immediately nestled into Fred's arms, taking comfort from his solid build and strong arms as she struggled against herself to not cry. She heard Professor McGonagall open the common room door and demand that Sir Cadogan explain why he had allowed Sirius Black inside the tower. Sir Cadogan proudly declared, "Why, because he had the passwords, m'lady! He had a list of every single password for this week, and he read it off to me."

Professor McGonagall made a sound of frustration that reminded Quinn of a hissing cat. "Which of my Gryffindor students was stupid enough to write down the passwords and then _lose_ the list?" Shame-faced, Neville raised his hand, stepping forward from the crowd. Quinn buried her face in Fred's shirt, unable to bring herself to watch as McGonagall took house points from him and issued punishments besides when she knew it was really her fault. Neville hadn't lost the list; Quinn had stolen it and given it to Sirius Black, resulting in Black breaking into the tower with a knife to commit murder — whether his target was Harry Potter or a pet rat that might have actually been Peter Pettigrew, Quinn was no longer sure.

Quinn and Fred returned to their spot on the couch as the rest of Gryffindor chattered about the attack and the teachers scoured the castle for Black. Fred tried his hardest to pull Quinn into a conversation, but she refused to say a word the entire night, too heartbroken to speak. At dawn, McGonagall finally returned to inform the Gryffindors that Black had once again escaped, fire Sir Cadogan, and replace him with the Fat Lady and her new troll guards. Over the course of the day, Quinn noticed that every passage in and out of the castle was now boarded up, even ones as small as mouse holes. When Neville received a Howler from his grandmother about the loss of his list of passwords a day later, Quinn ran out of the Great Hall, unable to bear the guilt. She hid the rest of the day in her bed, skipping her classes and refusing to eat when Hermione brought her some food from the Great Hall.

* * *

 **June 1994**

The next Hogsmeade weekend, Quinn refused to go, claiming her stomach was upset and that she'd go to the hospital wing when Fred pressed the issue. At the next full moon, Quinn didn't return to the Shrieking Shack for further assistance as she had promised Sirius she would, but instead, she relied entirely on the book he had recommended, finally taking the mandrake leaf out of her mouth and dropping it into a vial as instructed by _Animagi Transformations_. When the first lightning storm finally rolled around in late May, Quinn cast the spell as instructed and drank her potion with successful results, but somehow it wasn't as satisfying as if Sirius had been there to supervise her as he ought to have been. She often found herself staring from windows out onto the grounds at the Whomping Willow, wondering if he still bothered to come there to keep an eye out for her, or if he had run away to try other tactics at instigating Lord Voldemort's return to power. The idea of Sirius working for Voldemort still didn't sit right with Quinn, though, so she usually ignored such thoughts. Exams began, and while they were difficult, Quinn scored high marks in all of her classes, particularly Transfiguration, where the exam had been to transfigure a teapot into a tortoise, which she had executed beautifully. Still, she was glum on her best days, and no matter what Fred did, he couldn't bring her out of her slump.

As June began, Quinn heard Hermione, Harry, and Ron discussing the execution of Buckbeak, Hagrid's hippogriff, in the common room, and how they were going to visit Hagrid to comfort him. A short while after they left, Quinn grabbed her wand and ran out onto the grounds. She had no intention of following her fellow students to Hagrid's, but she was angry — about the attack on Ron, her role in the break-in to Gryffindor, the injustice of executing a hippogriff who had only acted as a hippogriff might be expected to when mistreated, and everything else that had gone wrong that school year, and she knew exactly where to direct that anger. She marched right out the front door of the school, not even bothering to try to be sneaky about it, and made her way down to the Whomping Willow. Just as she approached the Willow, however, she saw Sirius Black in his dog form, climbing out of the passage under the tree, and Ron chasing Crookshanks toward the tree, Harry and Hermione close behind. Quinn started toward the cat, certain Crookshanks must be chasing Scabbers, but Ron beat her to it, grabbing the rat even as Crookshanks attempted to pounce on the small creature and missed. The large dog jumped on Harry, knocking him aside, and launched himself at Ron, biting onto his leg and dragging him under the Whomping Willow and disappearing. Harry tried to follow, but a branch of the willow struck him across the chest, knocking him flat on his back several feet away from the tree's trunk.

The tree suddenly stopped moving as Crookshanks placed a paw on the knot on the willow's trunk. Quinn ignored Harry's shouts at her and raced after Black and Ron, dropping into the familiar passage to the Shrieking Shack and running after them. Soon, she couldn't even hear Harry and Hermione behind her, and she was alone. She emerged in the Shrieking Shack and heard Ron moaning upstairs, so she follows the sound. When she entered the bedroom, she found Ron lying on the decrepit four-poster bed, and Ron exclaims, "Quinn, run! It's Black!"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn ignored Ron and zeroed in on Sirius Black, now human, lurking behind the open bedroom door. "Why?" she demanded. "You really are going to kill Harry, aren't you? You've been lying to me all year!"

Sirius sighed. "Little pup, I thought you believed I was innocent?"

"I did!" Quinn snapped. "Then you showed up in my house with a knife looking like you were ready to slit the nearest person's throat."

"No," Sirius said firmly. "Not anyone's. You know very well who I was after."

It wasn't until then that Quinn noticed the squeaking coming from the skinny rat in Ron's grasp. She stared in surprise. "Pettigrew?"

Sirius nodded, and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. She stepped toward him and started to hug him, but she heard Harry and Hermione coming up the stairs, so instead, she stepped behind Sirius, allowing his plan to unfold in an act of hesitant trust, even as she noticed Ron's wand in Sirius's grasp. Quinn gripped her own wand by her side in case she was forced to try to rescue her friends as Harry and Hermione entered the room, and Ron warned, "No! Run! He's an animagus!"

Sirius slammed the bedroom door shut, disarming Harry and Hermione with Ron's wand. "I'm glad you're so much like your father, Harry," he croaked. "It will make this that much easier."

Ron said bravely as Hermione placed herself between Sirius and Harry, "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us first."

"No," Sirius said. "Only one will die tonight."

"Why? Killing Pettigrew and those twelve Muggles wasn't enough for you?" Harry demanded, but before Sirius could reply, Harry lunged at him, grabbing his wand wrist and wrestling him to the ground in an attempt to disarm him. Crookshanks started scratching at Harry's hand, and Quinn threw herself into the fight, trying her hardest to pry Harry off Sirius's arm. Ron joined in to assist Harry, and Hermione kicked Sirius as he choked Harry's throat. Despite Quinn and Sirius's best efforts, Harry recovered Ron's wand as Hermione grabbed her own and Harry's and aimed them at Sirius and Quinn.

Now defenseless, Sirius laughed maniacally from where he lay on the floor as he asked, "Are you going to kill me, Harry?"

Quinn sat in silence next to Sirius, afraid of what Harry might do — both to Sirius and to her. Harry accused, "I know what you did. You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead."

Sirius replied, "I am responsible, but there's so much more to that story than you know, Harry." Harry seemed to hesitate, his wand lowering ever so slightly, as Crookshanks sat on Sirius's chest, resisting any effort on Sirius's part to push him off.

Quinn shook as she watched Harry for any sign of impending violence, nearly jumping out of her skin when the bedroom door burst open and Remus Lupin rushed into the room. Quinn couldn't believe her eyes when her father disarmed Harry, Ron, and Hermione with a quick flourish of his wand. "Where is he?" Remus demanded, immediately turning to Sirius, not even noticing Quinn sitting next to him. Sirius pointed at Ron. "Why hasn't he shown himself?" Remus demanded. "Unless… you switched… and didn't tell me?" Sirius nodded. Remus pulled Sirius to his feet and embraced him, and Quinn smiled as she realized that her dad was on their side after all, that he believed Sirius too.

Sounding devastated, Hermione cried, "No! I trusted you! And all this time, you've been his friend." Pointing at Remus, she revealed, "He's a werewolf! That's why he's been missing classes! He's been helping Black try to kill Harry!"

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione. Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle, and I certainly don't want Harry dead…" An odd shiver passed over Remus's face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf. Dumbledore and the rest of the staff are all very aware that I am a werewolf, and they trust me, with the exception of Snape, of course. He set that essay on werewolves hoping one of my students would discover my secret and reveal it so that he could be rid of me. You really are the brightest witch of your age, Hermione."

"Enough talk, Remus!" Sirius snapped. "Let's kill him!"

"All right," Remus said patiently. "But wait one more minute. Harry has the right to know why."

"I did my waiting!" Sirius shouted bitterly. "Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!"

"I know why," Harry said angrily, cutting Sirius off mid-rant. "He betrayed my parents. He's the reason they're dead, and now he's going to kill me to finish what he started."

"No," Remus said. "I believed so too until I saw both Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew on the map."

"The map was lying then," Harry snapped.

"The map never lies," Sirius insisted. "Peter Pettigrew is alive. He was your parents' Secret Keeper, Harry. He betrayed them to Voldemort and killed those Muggles. The dastardly coward cut off his own finger and transformed into a rat to fake his own death and frame me for his murder. Not that I didn't have every intention of killing him when I found James and Lily dead. And now I'm going to commit the murder I was imprisoned for," Sirius sneered before lunging at the rat in Ron's hands.

Remus pulled Sirius away from Ron, begging him to wait just a little longer so that he could explain. Quinn added, "Sirius, please, don't kill him."

Sirius's eyes snapped to Quinn, full of a madness she'd only seen there once before — the night he'd broken into Gryffindor with a knife. As Remus explained to Harry, Ron, and Hermione the story of his school days as a werewolf and the animagus friends that kept him company, Quinn heard a slight creak on the stairs outside. She started watching the door nervously. "I suppose Snape was partially right in accusing me of aiding Sirius in entering the castle," Remus admitted. "By staying silent to protect my own youthful indiscretions, I suppose I was helping him."

"How is Snape involved?" Sirius demanded.

"He's a professor at Hogwarts now," Remus answered calmly. Remus then told Harry and the others, admitting in front of Quinn for the first time, how he had nearly killed Snape in his werewolf form during their school days, and it was only by James Potter's last-minute intervention that Snape had survived unscathed.

"So that's why Snape hates you," Harry said, eyes widening.

"That's right," Snape said, bursting into the room and disarming Remus. "I was bringing you your potion, Lupin, when I saw a very interesting map lying open on your desk," Snape sneered. "I told Dumbledore that you and your precious little puppy were helping an old friend into the castle, and now, here's the proof."

"Brilliant, Snape," Sirius said scornfully. "Once again you've put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and as usual come to the wrong conclusion. Now if you'll excuse us, Remus and I have some unfinished business to attend to —" Sirius cut himself off sharply as Snape aimed his wand at Sirius's chest, making Quinn gasp.

"Give me a reason," Snape hissed. "I beg you."

"No!" Quinn exclaimed, attempting to launch herself at Snape (to do what exactly, she wasn't sure), but Remus caught her around the waist and held her back protectively.

"Don't be a fool, Severus," Remus warned.

"He can't help it; it's habit by now," Sirius said with a wry grin.

"Be quiet, Sirius!" Remus snapped.

"Be quiet yourself, Remus!"

Snape jeered, "Listen to you two. Quarreling like an old married couple."

Sirius mocked, "Why don't you run along and play with your chemistry set?"

Snape shoved his wand under Sirius's jaw, and Quinn strained against Remus's grasp, screaming, "No, please!"

"I could do it, you know," Snape said. "But why deny the dementors the pleasure. They're so longing to see you; they might even give you a kiss." Sirius trembled at the threat. "Do I detect a flicker of fear? Ah, yes, the Dementor's Kiss. It's said to be nearly unbearable to witness, but I'll do my best."

"Severus, please," Remus said, his voice calm but strained. "The children."

Snape glanced around the room, truly paying attention to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Quinn for the first time. "After you," Snape sneered, gesturing with his wand toward the door, waiting for the third years to exit.

Unwilling to let Snape harm either one of her adoptive fathers, Quinn yanked her wand from her pocket at the same time as Harry and Hermione, all three pointing them at Snape. Hermione and Harry shouted incantations for the disarming spell, but Quinn shouted, "Stupefy!"

Snape dropped to the floor, unconscious, as all three spells hit him at once. The entire room stared at Quinn in surprise. "When did you learn that one?" Remus demanded. "I didn't teach it to you."

"You did, by accident," Quinn said. "I was eavesdropping in your office when you taught the fifth years that spell. But is now really the time to question my learning methods?"

Harry turned his wand on the family of three. "How do I know you're telling the truth? How could Black possibly know that Pettigrew was hiding with the Weasleys?" Harry said, aiming at Remus.

Remus forced Ron to hand over Scabbers as Sirius answered, "Fudge visited Azkaban one night last summer, and he gave me his newspaper before leaving. I saw the photo of the Weasley family on the front page, and I saw the rat missing his toe, just like Pettigrew left behind one finger. Pettigrew severed his finger just before he shouted at me that I had killed James and Lily, then blew up the street, killing those Muggles and escaping into the sewers as a rat, leaving me there to take the blame."

"You've had your rat for twelve years, haven't you, Ron?" Lupin pointed out. "Unusually long lifespan for a common rat. They usually only live three-four years. But Scabbers isn't looking too well these days, is he?"

"It's that mad cat!" Ron accused, pointing at Crookshanks across the room, who hissed. "He's what's driving poor Scabbers to his deathbed! It's all the stress!"

Harry said, "Wasn't Scabbers unwell this summer, though? Before Hermione even bought Crookshanks? Ever since we first heard about Black escaping?"

Ron fell into a thoughtful silence as Remus took Scabbers away and held him away from his body. Sirius held his hand out to Quinn, palm up, as he had once before. This time, when his eyes met Quinn's, some of the madness there had been replaced by a fierce determination. "May I?" he said quietly, in a voice that had become more what she expected Sirius to sound like than the mad, cackling fiend that had stood before her mere minutes before. After a second's hesitation, Quinn spun her wand around and handed it to Sirius, then walked over to where Snape lay and took the professor's wand to replace her own.

Remus dropped the rat suddenly, who scurried around the room attempting to escape as Sirius and Remus cast silent spells at him. Finally, Sirius's spell hit home, transforming the rat into a short man with a large bald spot and colorless features. "What happened that night, Wormtail?" Remus demanded, his presence more terrifying and dangerous than Quinn could remember her father ever seeming.

Pettigrew claimed, "I was afraid of what he would do to me!" Pointing at Sirius, Pettigrew squeaked, "After he betrayed the Potters, what was I to do? I was the only one left who knew the truth! He came after me! I faked my death to protect myself from him!"

"You liar!" Quinn shrieked, marching toward Pettigrew with Snape's wand, which shot out brilliant green sparks, but Black dropped a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, and she stopped in her tracks, breathing heavily in her fury.

"He possesses powers that You-Know-Who taught him!" Peter accused. "How was I supposed to fight that? You know I was never a very strong dueller, Remus."

Black responded coldly, "Voldemort's other followers are unhappy with you, Peter. The Death Eaters in Azkaban, my fellow prisoners, believe that you double-crossed Voldemort and led to his downfall. Many of their friends are still at large, you know, and they won't be too happy with you either."

Quinn smirked at the visible shiver of fear that shot through Pettigrew at the implied threat; she couldn't help but revel in the terror Sirius caused the man who had been the source of his twelve years in hell. "Why would an innocent man remain in hiding for twelve years?" Remus demanded.

Pettigrew whined, "Sirius was Voldemort's number one lieutenant! I was afraid of what he would do to me if he found me!" Turning suddenly to Harry, Pettigrew said, "Harry, I've never hurt you; have I? How could I be a Death Eater if I've never even tried to hurt you?"

Angry, Sirius barked, "You only never harmed Harry because you knew you couldn't rely on protection from Voldemort's other followers! YOU were the Potters' Secret Keeper, Wormtail! You had been feeding Voldemort information for a year before you became their Secret Keeper, and you betrayed them!"

Pettigrew cried, "I didn't mean to! The Dark Lord, you've no idea the powers he possesses! What would you have done, Sirius? What would you have done?"

"I would have died!" Sirius shouted, stomping forward toward Pettigrew, who retreated toward the bedroom door, which Harry quickly blocked. "I would have died rather than betray my friends, as we would have done for you!"

"Harry," Pettigrew pleaded, grabbing Harry by the shoulders. Harry tried to push Pettigrew off as the vile man said quietly, "James wouldn't have wanted me killed! Your dad — your dad would've spared me. He would've shown me mercy!"

Pettigrew cried out as Sirius and Remus wretched him away from Harry, throwing him across the room and pointing their wands at him. Sirius said bitterly, "You should have realized, Peter, that if Voldemort didn't kill you, that we would — together!"

Quinn saw Sirius and Remus about to cast the Killing Curse and started to say something, but Harry shouted, "No!"

The two men hesitated. "Harry," Remus said, sighing heavily. "This man —"

"I know what he is," Harry said. "But we take him to the castle."

"Bless you, boy!" Pettigrew exclaimed, falling to his knees and taking hold of Harry's pants. "Bless you!"

"Get off me!" Harry shouted, kicking Pettigrew away. "I said we'll take you to the castle. After that, the dementors can have you. I don't want my dad's two best friends becoming murderers."

Peter began to cry and simper, begging everyone in sight for help, to no avail. Sirius hesitated, but after Remus lowered his wand, he did the same. Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. She agreed with Harry — she didn't want her two fathers, her only family, to become murderers either. Remus cast a spell to bind Pettigrew and another to splint Ron's broken leg. Sirius threatened Pettigrew, "You even start to transform, Wormtail, and I'll kill you."

Surprising the escaped convict, Quinn hugged Sirius tightly around his too-skinny waist. "I'm sorry I doubted you," she mumbled, just loud enough for Sirius alone to hear as Remus cast a spell to levitate Snape out off the room.

"It's all right, pup," Sirius muttered back, smoothing her blonde hair. "I would've doubted me, too," he said before escaping her hold to help Ron to his feet. With Crookshanks leading the way, the ragtag group headed into the tunnel under the Shrieking Shack.


End file.
